The Amateur (2025) - Review
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© 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Directed by: James Hawes
Written by: Ken Nolan, Gary Spinelli
Starring: Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Laurence Fishburne
Runtime: 123 min
Synopsis: Charlie Heller (Rami Malek) is a brilliant, but deeply introverted decoder for the CIA working out of a basement office at headquarters in Langley, whose life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack. When his supervisors refuse to take action, he takes matters into his own hands, embarking on a dangerous trek across the globe to track down those responsible, his intelligence serving as the ultimate weapon for eluding his pursuers and achieving his revenge.
© 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Editor's Note: Original review was written for Movies We Texted About. Full article can be found below.
REVIEW SUMMARY
The Amateur ends up being a mild disappointment, especially given the legitimate expectations raised by the talent involved, both in front of and behind the camera. Despite a committed performance from Rami Malek, James Hawes' adaptation fails to escape a formulaic, timid, and emotionally shallow narrative - its simplicity and lack of surprise stand as its most significant flaws. There are occasional glimpses of emotional weight, but the script rarely ventures into more complex or thematically challenging territory, resulting in an experience that might entertain in the most basic sense. For a spy thriller with introspective ambitions, its biggest misstep was settling for the surface level.
