The American

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The American

R

Released Sep 1, 2010

1h 45m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Action

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Popcornmeter

64%

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223 Reviews

39%

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50,000+ Ratings

When an assignment in Sweden ends badly, master assassin Jack (George Clooney) retreats to the Italian countryside with the intention of remaining anonymous. In an uncharacteristic move, he becomes friends with a local priest and pursues a torrid romance with a beautiful woman (Violante Placido). But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be making a fatal mistake.

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Critics Consensus

As beautifully shot as it is emotionally restrained, The American is an unusually divisive spy thriller -- and one that rests on an unusually subdued performance from George Clooney.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

This is a western wrapped up in an Abruzzo tourism brochure, but that's OK. I now know it's my favourite kind of cowboy film.

Aug 30, 2018

Full Review

Michael Atkinson

Sight & Sound

The American is in fact a double-stunner - a retro-ish Euro-espionage thriller that's written, acted and directed as if it were still 1974.

Jul 10, 2018

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Caryn James

Newsday

The American doesn't set out to be anything other than a twisty, deliberate film that relies on suspense and paranoia more than car chases and gunplay. The problem is that even on its own artsy terms, the film falls apart long before the end.

Feb 7, 2018

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The entire picture relies on Clooney’s characterization, but the script by Rowan Joffe, based on the novel A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth, offers nothing but atmosphere without feeling.

Rated: 1.5/4

Aug 9, 2023

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Graeme Tuckett

Stuff.co.nz

If you're a fan of Jim Jarmusch and Nic Roeg, you might enjoy what Corbijn is trying to do here. Otherwise, don't bother.

Nov 11, 2022

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Despite its title, The American, is a pretentious European cut. [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 20, 2022

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Jim D

Why do directors think gratuitous nudity and sex add to the quality or purpose of the movie? The opening scene gives a shot of a woman’s nude derrière. She’s killed moments later, so she’s meaningless to the plot. Later on there’s more nudity/sex, that adds nothing to the narrative. Clooney’s character is a blank slate, and nothing is forthcoming in the first 30 minutes. The movie was so boring that I stopped watching 30 minutes in.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/19/24

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Lanfranco C

The key player of the movie is Abruzzo.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/31/24

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Marc C

Slow, boring. It’s like watching Clooney stock shelves and then put together a gun. Yawn fest.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/14/24

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Audience Member

I love this movie! Great scenery

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/13/24

Full Review

Nick R

Subtle, scenery, Clooney, tight, and somehow interesting and distinct all the way to the end. In reading other reviews, it seems like the arthouse (and technical) acumen meant it was graded on a higher curve than most movies, or people simply wanted to zag. This movie was somehow even better on its second viewing.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/16/24

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The_Matthew S

You have to be in tune with Anton Corbijn as a Director to love this one. And that's me

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/14/24

Full Review

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Anton Corbijn

Director

George Clooney

Jack

Violante Placido

Clara

Thekla Reuten

Mathilde

Paolo Bonacelli

Father Benedetto

Johan Leysen

Pavel

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Synopsis

When an assignment in Sweden ends badly, master assassin Jack (George Clooney) retreats to the Italian countryside with the intention of remaining anonymous. In an uncharacteristic move, he becomes friends with a local priest and pursues a torrid romance with a beautiful woman (Violante Placido). But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be making a fatal mistake.

Director: Anton Corbijn
Producer: Anne Carey, Jill Green, Ann Wingate, Grant Heslov, George Clooney
Screenwriter: Rowan Joffe
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: This Is That Productions, Smoke House, Greenlit Productions
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Nudity|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 1, 2010, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 14, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $35.6M
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS

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