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The American

The American

Crime · Drama · Thriller · 2010

Dispatched to a small Italian town to await further orders, assassin Jack embarks on a double life that may be more relaxing than is good for him.

Movie details

The American

2010 Crime · Drama · Thriller 1h 44m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.0 / 10

Community rating

Dispatched to a small Italian town to await further orders, assassin Jack embarks on a double life that may be more relaxing than is good for him.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The American?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Anton Corbijn

Written by

Rowan Joffé

George Clooney

George Clooney

Jack / Edward

Violante Placido

Violante Placido

Clara

Thekla Reuten

Thekla Reuten

Mathilde

Paolo Bonacelli

Paolo Bonacelli

Father Benedetto

Johan Leysen

Johan Leysen

Pavel

Irina Björklund

Irina Björklund

Ingrid

L

Lars Hjelm

Hunter #1

Court is in session

Put The American on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.