The American

The American came out to some fanfare in September. It seemed released too early to be considered for an Oscar. It was released too late to be a summer tentpole. September is notorious for dumping your movies you can't market to audiences. That doesn't necessarily mean you have a bad film. It just means you don't know what to do with it.

What we have here is a movie about a real life James Bond. He's an assassain. It's not glamourous. It's lonely. It's quiet. You work and you wait. And that's what you get in this movie. A lot of short sentences. Quiet contemplation on screen. There is some action, but mostly it's the moments in between. Mole described it as a romantic In Bruge. I would consider it a quiet 007 movie. If you take both of those into consideration, you have a pretty good idea about what the movie is.

That's not a knock on the film. I think it is fantastic. I think Mole enjoyed it to a lesser extent that I did. But I would highly recommend it. What we both agreed on was that it isn't going to try and give you big twists. You might be looking for them, but it is straightfoward. Which in itself is a twist. Nowadays you are always looking for the rug to be pulled out from under you. To not have that happen actually makes for an interesting twist. (How telling is it that a movie that doesn't have a surprise ending actually IS the surprise).

Did you enjoy it?
Yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
You'd be hard pressed to find it still playing, but I wouldn't go again.

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
Sure. And if you didn't see it, you should too.

Would you watch it if you saw it was on TV?
Eh. It'd be a good nap movie, but probably not great for repeat viewing (except for the skin...).