Common Sense Media Review
By S. Jhoanna Robledo
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Taut, mature drama examines the life of a lone assassin.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The American
What's the Story?
Edward (George Clooney) is a firearm craftsman and assassin who has grown weary of his life. The lone wolf longs to be part of a pack. When hitmen come after him in Sweden, shattering his idyll and leaving his lover dead by his own hands, he decamps to rural Italy, where he befriends a priest and a prostitute. Soon, another assignment comes in: Will it be his last?
Is It Any Good?
Anyone expecting a Bourne-like thrill-a-minute experience will be suprised and perplexed by THE AMERICAN. Though suspenseful, it proceeds at a mindful, brooding, and, in some instances, glacial pace. Watch Clooney working alone in his room, drinking alone at a bar, standing alone on a riverbank. (You get the picture.)
Therein lies director Anton Corbijn's genius. Viewers don't just see Edward's isolation and increasing despair -- they feel it by the second. His responses and decisions, then, make perfect sense within his very palpable existence. Clooney once again turns in fine work, but sometimes his superstar George Clooney-ness overwhelms. (It doesn't help that the film is set in Italy, where everyone who has ever read a tabloid knows that Clooney has a villa and lives part-time.) Not everything makes sense at first watching, but it pays to get to know The American.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the media typically portrays assassins and spies. How is this movie different? Which seems more realistic?
Who do you think this movie is intended to appeal to? Is it successful?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 1, 2010
- On DVD or streaming : December 28, 2010
- Cast : George Clooney , Thekla Reuten , Violante Placido
- Director : Anton Corbijn
- Studio : Focus Features
- Genre : Thriller
- Run time : 95 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violence, sexual content and nudity
- Last updated : September 4, 2022
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