Josh Reviews The American

In the quiet, tense new film The American, George Clooney plays Jack (though we have no idea if that’s his real name, and he assumes the name Edward for much of the film).  Jack is involved in some Bad Things, though what exactly those Bad Things are is never specified.  He is perhaps a gun-for-hire, and he is definitely a gun-maker-for hire, as that is the job we see him involved with for the bulk of the film.  Jack has been hired, through his nameless employer, to craft a specific type of gun for a beautiful woman named Mathilde (Thekla Reuten, who played Sayid’s doomed girlfriend Inga in “The Economist” episode of Lost).  While Jack clearly seems to be a master of his craft, the loneliness and isolation of his life has begun to affect him — not to mention the fact that he is being pursued by several Swedish assassins.  When he forms a connection with a prostitute, Clara (Violante Placido), we can see that Jack has become desperate for a real, substantial human connection — though he is also skilled enough at his profession that he is well aware of the dangers of “making friends.”

Mr. Clooney is a compelling lead, dramatically downplaying his charm in his depiction of an almost-broken man who is nevertheless believably magnetic to Clara.  There is very little dialogue in the film — the story is carried along mainly by looks and gestures.  We spend much of the film watching Mr. Clooney quietly at work, and he gives Jack a strong inner life without ever having to resort to lengthy monologues to tell the audience what he’s thinking or feeling.

The film is gorgeously shot.  The vistas (the film is set in Sweden and Italy) are amazingly beautiful, and director Anton Corbijn shows a keen eye for composition and a confidence in keeping his camerawork stable and slow-moving.  In many ways his camera-placement is as “quiet” as the rest of the film.  This works well, I think, in focusing our attention on the drama happening in Jack’s head. 

The American reminds me, in aspiration if not quite in accomplishment, of The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 masterpiece starring Gene Hackman.  Both films center on a protagonist involved in not-quite-legal doings, one who is a master at his game but who has also begun to chafe at the isolation that his mastery of his profession demands.  In both films, the tension rises as the protagonist attempts to connect with a woman, while also finding himself to be under constant threat of death from outside forces. 

Where The American fails for me (in contrast to The Conversation), is in the sketchiness with which the situation surrounding Jack is presented.  Who were those Swedes trying to kill him, and why did they want him dead?  Had he really lost his edge, as his boss accuses him, or had he just been unlucky?  What prompted his boss to take the action that he does at the end of the film?  How did the Swedes find Jack again?  Was Mathilde’s target always who we saw her attempt to kill at the end of the film, or did things change based on Jack’s actions?  The film left me with a number of questions.  I can understand the filmmakers not wanting to get too bogged down in the complexities of every character’s machinations.  In many ways the gun that Jack is building and the Swedish assassins are both macguffins, just vehicles to tell a story of this man at a crossroads.  I also understand that the filmmakers didn’t want us, as an audience, to know any more than Jack.  But I think the drama of the situation would hve been helped if we’d had just a little bit more of a framework to the story, and a little more information on the motivation of the other characters. 

The American is a competently told adult drama.  The film is looks beautiful and contains a number of strong performances.  It’s not a home run, but after our long dry summer it felt like a breath of fresh air.