bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

James Mottram

2/5 stars
Rami Malek shone in Mr. Robot, his breakout TV drama about cybersecurity and hackers, and it seems that ever since, he has been seeking something similar.
James Bond movie No Time to Die, in which he played the villain, was very much a case of the spy who bored me. And now The Amateur, adapted from a novel by Robert Littell, crosses the same terrain.
Malek plays Charles Heller, a CIA cryptographer working at Langley, Virginia. When his wife (Rachel Brosnahan) is murdered in a terrorist attack in London, the distraught Charlie has only one thing on his mind: revenge.


Confronting his bosses, he demands mission-specific training. To shut him up, they agree, putting him with Laurence Fishburne’s Colonel Henderson, who soon realises that Charlie does not have the mettle to be a cold-blooded killer.
Undeterred, Charlie sets about using the skills he does have, tracking down the four people involved in Sarah’s death, starting in Paris. It is almost like watching the polar opposite of Liam Neeson’s Taken character chase down the bad guys.
It is an intriguing premise, one that Malek is well suited to deliver. But that is where the good things about The Amateur end.
The muddled, conspiracy-laden plot, one that sees high-ranking CIA officials embroiled in off-the-books black-ops missions, swiftly unravels.

Characters become disposable, like Jon Bernthal’s agent, who turns up in the most improbable location and then disappears.
Similarly Fishburne’s military man is more plot cog than anything substantial; it is a film undeserving of his gravitas.
Although there is good work from Belfast’s Caitriona Balfe as a contact Charlie fosters, especially a touching scene where she craves intimacy following the loss of her husband, this is a film that relies on Malek to pull you through.
To his credit, there is something very watchable about him as the CIA analyst forced to go rogue for vengeance. It is just a pity the script wasn’t given a further polish.
Director James Hawes (One Life) desperately wants to hark back to 1970s Hollywood conspiracy thrillers like Three Days of the Condor, but never manages to.

There are some killer set pieces, one involving a glass-bottomed, rooftop swimming pool in a Madrid hotel – a scene that is far too spoiled in the film’s trailer. But it’s never enough to knit this into a satisfying whole.
It would be unfair to call this enterprise the work of amateurs; there is too much craft and care involved. But this could have been so much better.
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook


Elisabeth Moss’ dating history: she used to be married to SNL’s Fred Armisen, but her Scientologist faith reportedly put them at odds – and what about those rumours she was engaged to Tom Cruise?

Buffy actress Michelle Trachtenberg died of complications from diabetes: medical examiner

The Wedding Banquet’s Youn Yuh-jung on channelling her past to play gay man’s grandmother

Who is Audra Mari, the wife of Transformers alum Josh Duhamel, in turn the ex-husband of Fergie? She is a beauty queen who shares his affinity for North Dakota and they have a child together

American cinema

The Amateur movie review: Rami Malek seeks revenge in subpar spy thriller

Rami Malek as Heller in a still from The Amateur. Photo: John Wilson/20th Century Studios

Rami Malek as Heller in a still from The Amateur (category IIA), directed by James Hawes. Laurence Fishburne co-stars. Photo: John Wilson


Laurence Fishburne as Henderson in a still from The Amateur. Photo: Jonathan Olley/20th Century Studios

Rami Malek as Heller and Caitriona Balfe as Inquiline in a still from The Amateur. Photo: John Wilson/20th Century Studios

A Minecraft Movie review: Jack Black, Jason Momoa take on iconic world-building video game

(From left) Jack Black, Danielle Brooks and Jason Momoa in a still from A Minecraft Movie. Photo: Warner Bros Pictures

(From left) Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Sebastian Hansen in a still from A Minecraft Movie (category I), directed by Jared Hess. Photo: Warner Bros Pictures

A still from A Minecraft Movie. Photo: Warner Bros Pictures

Emma Myers as Natalie in a still from A Minecraft Movie. Photo: Warner Bros Pictures

Warfare movie review: Civil War director Alex Garland dives into the reality of combat

Will Poulter in a still from Warfare. Photo: A24

Aaron Mackenzie (left) and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (centre) in a still from Warfare, co-written and -directed by Civil War’s Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza. Photo: A24

A still from Warfare. Photo: A24

Snow White movie review: Rachel Zegler carries Disney’s bland live-action remake

Rachel Zegler as Snow White in a still from the live-action Snow White. Photo: Disney

Rachel Zegler as Snow White in a still from the live-action Snow White (category I), directed by Marc Webb. Gal Gadot co-stars. Photo: Disney

Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen in a still from the live-action Snow White. Photo: Disney

Gal Gadot (left) as the Evil Queen and Rachel Zegler as Snow White in a still from the live-action Snow White. Photo: Disney

Novocaine movie review: Jack Quaid feels no pain going from mild to mad in action thriller

Jack Quaid as Nate in a still from Novocaine. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

Jack Quaid as Nate in a still from Novocaine (category IIB), directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen. Amber Midthunder and Ray Nicholson co-star. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

Jacob Batalon as Roscoe in a still from Novocaine. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

Amber Midthunder as Sherry and Jack Quaid as Nate in a still from Novocaine. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

This story of a CIA analyst looking for vengeance has all the elements necessary for success, but somehow fails to pull them together


This story of a CIA analyst looking for vengeance has all the elements necessary for success, but somehow fails to pull them together.


Film reviews

Cinema

Fame and celebrity

Hollywood

What to do in Hong Kong

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

Review | The Amateur movie review: Rami Malek seeks revenge in subpar spy thriller

This story of a CIA analyst looking for vengeance has all the elements necessary for success, but somehow fails to pull them together