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The Amateur

Play trailer 2:16 Poster for The Amateur R 1981 1h 52m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 5 Reviews 46% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
When the wife of CIA agent Charles Heller (John Savage) is killed by a group of terrorists in Munich, Germany, he decides to hunt down the escaped killers. However, he is only a code specialist without combat expertise, and he does not have agency permission. Using classified information, Heller blackmails the CIA into training him and sending him into Czechoslovakia, where the killers are currently located. Once he arrives, Heller discovers that he may be their target after all.
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The Amateur

Critics Reviews

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times After earning our attention with its understated, powerful opening, the movie develops into a routine, even laughable, spy thriller. Rated: 2/4 May 8, 2019 Full Review Jana Monji Age of the Geek This film benefited from some contemporary events, but the script is more tell than show. In 2025, a remake is much better. Still, you might want to compare the technology from 1981 to now. Rated: 2/5 Apr 11, 2025 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com …rather more plausible than the usual techno-thriller mechanics, The Amateur makes a virtue of its savvy view of dirty black ops…does a professional wet job that probably should have made more of a cultural imprint than it did, but a reboot might help... Rated: 3/5 Jul 22, 2021 Full Review Larry Vitacco Philadelphia Gay News A slick and suspenseful espionage thriller. Rated: 3/4 May 27, 2020 Full Review Diego Galán El Pais (Spain) The Amateur has an effective narrative that is superior to other similar movies. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 22, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Tim M Lacking the verve an espionage thriller needs to entice, The Amateur takes all the passion out of revenge. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 05/01/25 Full Review Audience Member This was a decent movie for it’s time. While the story is essentially the same, this version had a much slower pace. It lacked the same level of excitement that I felt the 2025 version had. There also wasn’t the same level of agent in to the relationship between the couple, which made me less invested as to what happened. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/11/25 Full Review Patricia C Awesome film! Not one second hit a lull - actors amazing. It had splintered humor and kept me watching and I’m not an action type of film goer. It was incredible! AA great watch! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/03/25 Full Review Audience Member Considering the fact that I never heard of this movie I chose to give it a shot on cable today. I did'nt think it was any good. It was too boring, slow and uninteresting. I turned it off part way into it. It was'nt worth it at all. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Ordinary man blackmails CIA to send him to Czecheslovakia to avenge terrorists who executed his girlfriend, only to be targeted by CIA after crossing enemy lines. Top notch Canadian cinema. Nominated for 10 Genie Awards, winning zero. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Very good espionage film. Intelligent and has an honest feel throughout. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Amateur

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Cast & Crew

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Charles Jarrott

Director

John Savage

Charles Heller

Christopher Plummer

Professor Lakos

Marthe Keller

Elisabeth

Arthur Hill

Brewer

Nicholas Campbell

Schraeger
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The Amateur

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The Amateur

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Movie Info

Synopsis When the wife of CIA agent Charles Heller (John Savage) is killed by a group of terrorists in Munich, Germany, he decides to hunt down the escaped killers. However, he is only a code specialist without combat expertise, and he does not have agency permission. Using classified information, Heller blackmails the CIA into training him and sending him into Czechoslovakia, where the killers are currently located. Once he arrives, Heller discovers that he may be their target after all.
Director
Charles Jarrott
Producer
Garth H. Drabinsky, Joel B. Michaels
Screenwriter
Diana Maddox, Robert Littell
Production Co
Tiberius Film Productions, Balkan Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 52m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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