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I have a confession. I saw a movie called The Amateur nearly a month ago. I also saw a movie called The Amateur in 1982. Both are based on the same novel. I remember the 1982 film, which I saw one time in a movie theater, about as well as I remember the 2025 film.
I meant to write this review the day I saw the film, then I got busy, and then I more or less forgot I had even seen it.
The Amateur is an entirely adequate action-thriller about a quiet CIA data analyst who trains to become a ruthless killer in order to avenge the murder of his wife at the hands of international terrorists. That is the kind of summary you would see if you found this movie on Hulu, where it might already be playing for free:
A quiet CIA data analyst (Rami Malek) trains to become a ruthless killer in order to avenge the murder of his wife at the hands of international terrorists.
Everything that you expect would happen in a movie with that summary happens in The Amateur. It is not a bad movie in the sense that it is not incompetently made or poorly acted, though in the case of Laurence Fishburne it is, at least, apathetically acted. It has good scenery and made me want to go to Paris, and it has some strong visual effects. It has one of those scores you can hear in your head right now because you hear it every time you turn on a CBS TV series.
It's about two hours long, it looks like a movie, it feels like a movie, and yet, it makes absolutely no impact. When it's over, the first thought is, "Should we go home or get something to eat?"
The Amateur is made for streaming. It's a wonder it got a theatrical release because it is precisely the kind of movie you'd watch on a Sunday morning when you have to iron the clothes or mop the floors or cut your nails and there is nothing else that looks interesting. It's a good movie to nap to, or a good movie to exercise to, maybe, and when it's over the "UP NEXT" icon will come on and for once you won't feel irritated to see it, because when The Amateur is done you will probably want to watch something next — something maybe a little better. Or not. That's life in the streaming age, filled with movies like this, that don't see to have any purpose other than to help you pass the time.
Viewed May 3, 2025 — AMC Universal 16
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