Who doesn’t love a good spy movie? From classics like James Bond to the newer breed of Jason Bourne and even Austin Powers, their stories have (generally) always been thrilling, engaging, and allow a level of escapism many films don’t. Sure, this isn’t fighting dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, but there is some sense of realism tied to the spy thriller that this could actually be taking place somewhere, and probably is. The Amateur looks to take this genre and somewhat turn it on its ear as our protagonist isn’t some trained and hardened super soldier. Just some average person who knows all the secrets and relies on his brains more than his brawn. And just like he is missing half the skills he would need to do this job, this movie only half meets its goal of being entertaining.
Charles Heller (Rami Malek) is smart, genius smart, and he uses his intelligence to work as a cryptographer in the CIA. His normal life is upended when his wife Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan) is killed in a hostage situation in London leaving him wanting revenge. The CIA is having none of it however, until Charles reveals a conspiracy he discovered that would lead to the downfall of some of the most powerful men in the world. They break their promise to train and help him find his wife’s killers, and Charles is left on his own to get revenge while also keeping out of the watchful eye of the CIA and the man they have sent to kill him.
This sounds like every spy movie ever made, and you would be correct to know that some of the tropes we know and love are ever-present here. Cool gadgets that give Charles an edge over the competition. Hacking skills to get the CIA off his back. Even a “handler” who helps him get out of tight spaces. And all of this done while the powers that be are trying to track him down. So yes, it is a bit derivative, but the change to the fact that this is all based solely on his intelligence and that he won’t outright kill anyone is what makes this interesting. As pointed out early on in the film, he’s not “a killer,” and doesn’t have what it takes to straight up shoot someone. Due to this, he sets traps that give people an out, almost making him more of a Jigsaw figure than anything else. Just not nearly as sadistic.
So with all that fun stuff, why does it only feel like it doesn’t live up to expectations? Well, for as smart as Charles is, he constantly keeps doing dumb stuff. I’ll be vague so as not to spoil anything, but there’s an early scene with an outcome that goes completely against logic. Had he done what was expected, it would have lived up to his reputation. Instead, he doesn’t, and it’s never explained why. He also constantly does things that would bring attention to himself and uses CIA tech that they could easily track in a heartbeat. Sure, we could argue that Charles knows how to disable it, but even then, not fast enough before they could get a location on their target.
There’s an old saying that goes, “buy the premise, buy the bit,” and The Amateur does a great job on setting itself up. It’s a fun and more unique take on a genre we know and love that gives the everyman a place to shine, but it forgets to follow its own rules, so the worldbuilding created doesn’t match what was promised. This isn’t horrible or something I regret seeing, but I walked out a lot less enthusiastic than I did going in. This had everything going for it, but then it was like it got halfway to the finish line and just gave up. I’m not expecting realism in action/suspense films, but I want something that’s at least as smart as the main character is promised to be.