The American Side

2014

1 hr. 30 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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79%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A low-rent detective joins the quest for a long-lost design by enigmatic genius, Nikola Tesla.

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Premiered May 03

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ronald h

In spite of a lot of clever film noir references, plus one cheesy reference to "North by Northwest," the plot of "The American Side" is too convoluted and poorly explicated to do much more than frustrate the viewer. There are a ton of characters to keep track of, and most of them are badly introduced and undeveloped, so we can't remember who they are. Thirty minutes into it, I was getting confused. An hour into it, I was altogether lost. It's too bad, because the cinemtography of Buffalo and Niagara Falls is really well done. There are several great looking scenes. The story involves secret documents of Nikola Tesla being sought by mysterious Serbs, and it includes a hapless private eye (Greg Stuhr), the FBI, and other strange, shadowy characters. The best thing about the film is small parts by Robert Forster, Robert Vaughn, Matthew Broderick, and other notables, but overall, it's an incomprehensible mess. It's not even clear what the time period is. Too bad. There's a good story in here somewhere, but damned if I could find it. The best I can hope for is that uninformed viewers will learn something about the amazing Tesla. As one line in the movie points out, he "invented the 20th century."

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Tough to follow with no redeeming reward 2.3

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/06/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Intriguing overall story that keeps you engaged, but, tricky to follow at times with the different parties chasing the Tesla design. Added value with this picture being filmed around Niagara Falls on the American Side.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Only the scenery is beautiful. The story sucks. Boring as hell.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

The plot is complex, unbelievable, and extremely drawn out. The main character is unattractive and the filming often dark.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

2017-09-03 first half good, second half disjointed

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Jenna Ricker

Director

Greg Stuhr

Charlie Paczynski

Alicja Bachleda

Nikki Meeker

Camilla Belle

Emily Chase

Matthew Broderick

Borden Chase

Robert Forster

Sterling Whitmore

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The American Side: Trailer 1

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Miriam Di Nunzio

Chicago Sun-Times

[A] fascinating whodunit/whatisit thriller that's sure to leave some questions unanswered. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 16, 2016

Full Review

Steve Rubenstein

San Francisco Chronicle

The American Side is a swell trip on one of those cheesy carnival rides, and you'll know it's time to get off the roller coaster when the credits roll.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 6, 2016

Full Review

Frank Scheck

Hollywood Reporter

True to form, the screenplay... is barely coherent in its explication of the convoluted plotline. But it does provide a fair share of hard-boiled, frequently amusing dialogue and a plethora of colorful characters.

Apr 29, 2016

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Linda and Al Lerner

Movies and Shakers

This film deserves to come out of the dark.

Oct 21, 2019

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Daniel Barnes

Dare Daniel

I can't even describe how much I want to like a scruffy, amiable, atmospheric, widescreen neo-noir lovingly shot in and around Buffalo, but The American Side is a stiff from start to finish.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 31, 2019

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Satisfying and a constantly engaging throwback detective story that surpasses its glitzy and more expensive Hollywood peers

Rated: 4/5

Feb 14, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

A low-rent detective joins the quest for a long-lost design by enigmatic genius, Nikola Tesla.

Director: Jenna Ricker
Executive Producer: Mary Henry
Screenwriter: Jenna Ricker, Greg Stuhr
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 3, 2016

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