the fresh films reviews

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The American (2010)

Director:
Anton Corbijn
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Drama/Crime
NORWEGIAN TITLE
The American
RUNNING TIME
105 minutes
Producer:
George Clooney
Grant Heslov
Anne Carey
Jill Green
Ann Wingate
Screenwriter (based on the novel by Martin Booth):
Rowan Joffé


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Jack/Edward George Clooney
Clara Violante Placido
Mathilde Thekla Reuten
Father Benedetto Paolo Bonacelli ½
Pavel Johan Leysen ½
Ingrid Irina Björklund

 

Review

Anton Corbijn, the brilliant Dutch photographer, music video director and creative mind behind much of U2's and Depeche Mode's visual output during the past two decades, took the plunge to feature film making with Control in 2007, a biopic about Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis which earned the Dutchman rave reviews. His second film, The American, is a far bigger test. This time he is directing a Hollywood superstar and making a film without the safety-net which his knowledge of the music business provided him with Control. This time, Anton Corbijn is exposed.

And although Corbijn again demonstrates his talent for compositions and choice of locations, he also reveals that he hasn't got full command of all facets of the craft of filmmaking yet. The clumsy editing and inhibited storytelling drains the life out of this potentially interesting story of a disillusioned assassin who goes into hibernation in a sleeping Italian village. Corbijn's lack of experience with actors also becomes apparent; the performances feel stiff, and only an experienced George Clooney on autopilot saves the film in a lacking middle part. In the end, we understand that the denouement is quite clever, and the film does retain a nerve, but the story is told as if by a deaf-mute; an indistinct grumble from which you must guess your way to the essence.

 
Copyright © 7.3.2011 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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