AMERICAN ASSASSIN: Disposable Action-Thriller Fun

James Bond, Ethan Hunt, John Wick, Jason Bourne and Jack Reacher must have been too busy to deal with the threat posed in Lionsgate’s latest action-thriller, American Assassin, as a new ass-kicking hero is introduced to cinematic audiences. Mitch Rapp, of Vince Flynn’s Consent to Kill and further novels, hopes to launch a new franchise of mid-budget action flicks hoping to make its mark in a similar way to the aforementioned spies-cum-special agents.

When a radical Islamist jihadist cell lands on the beach and begins attacking civilians with assault rifles, Mitch Rapp’s (Dylan O’Brien) girlfriend is caught in the crossfire. Tormenting himself for being unable to prevent her death, and hellbent on avenging those that caused it, Rapp frantically trains to one day come face-to-face, and kill, his girlfriend’s killers. When his online chatter is intercepted by the CIA, he is debriefed and offered the chance to join a black operations unit participating in asymmetric warfare, headed by Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton).

Walking a sensitive line with mixed results

Due to the nature of the world we live in, American Assassin walks a very sensitive, timely line. It deals with terrorism and nuclear weapons head on, but attempts to avoid painting its characters, villains and story with broad brush strokes: its success in this matter is questionable and it strains rather hard not to make generalizations, with some dubious gender politics in the mix – but it’s nowhere near as offensive as the likes of London Has Fallen, becoming more of a misguided attempt at subtlety rather than an insulting depiction of terrorism and the issues in our world. It doesn’t have the confidence or know-how to provide something more profound, disappointingly.

And that’s a slight problem when the script is not as smart as it thinks it is. Stephen Schiff, Michael Finch, Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz’s script is serviceable but over-stuffed and bordering on pretentious. Its four-strong writing team stitch together an exposition-heavy screenplay that seems rather chuffed with itself; frankly, it’s over-confidence and over-estimating its own intelligence, plumping for a narrative that is frequently conventional and unfortunately contrived. One mid-film bait-and-switch can be seen a mile-off while a predictably-heroic finale and second-spin table-dresser fails to inspire much beyond light pleasure.

But, it operates effectively enough to provide a vehicle to showcase Mitch Rapp as a potential new employee to Hollywood’s favourite agents league. Rapp himself is a somewhat problematic character at his core, with a skewed moral compass and dangerously-driven to revenge, who is then unfairly exploited for other’s gain – but that can be accredited to Flynn’s source material, rather than the screenplay, which really tries its best to encourage audiences to sympathize with Rapp and acknowledge a fundamental, recognizable human trait to protect those around us we love.

A lot of that is down to Dylan O’Brien’s lead performance. The Maze Runner actor makes his first fully-fledged action-thriller debut in this bloody, R-rated adaptation to general success: while some may have doubted him before due to his allegiance with younger-skewing material and content, O’Brien is undoubtedly talented and demonstrates here than he can hold his own well enough. Despite his Death Cure accident not too long before filming, O’Brien maintains an energy with Rapp that makes him compelling throughout: so short-tempered and traumatized that he is ready to snap at any given moment, providing an air of unpredictability about him. While this is otherwise lacking across American Assassin, this character keeps us on our toes long enough to be engaged.

Slick and well-cherographed without breaking the bank

The remainder of the cast is a fine bunch too. Michael Keaton plays Rapp’s guide and mentor as consistently-well as expected, becoming a menacing but well-meaning figure that pushes the young recruits he trains to take on the world. While he is haunted by a rogue student, Hurley very much experiences his own journey throughout the course of the film; a pro like Keaton handles it effectively, driving Hurley towards this self-discovery without distracting too much from the main body of the story.

American Assassin assembles a relatively unknown, but solid supporting cast: Shiva Negar is a stand-out as Annika, one of Rapp’s co-workers who more than keeps up with the fight; Sanaa Lathan plays Deputy Director Irene Kennedy with a fine balance between mother figure and stone-cold boss; while Taylor Kitsch is sturdy as a ghost from Hurley’s past, returning to pose a threat potentially devastating to the whole world.

Director Michael Cuesta provides some substantial set pieces and robust action sequences to keep us occupied. One of the biggest compliments anyone can pay American Assassin is that the film utilises its budget sharply and effectively: on a rumoured budget of $33 million, the action is slick and well-choreographed to the point where you would think it was working with a number close to $50-60 million, enhanced by some dashing cinematography from Enrique Chediak. Films like this are rarely going to set the world on fire with their visuals but it is surprising what they have managed to do with surprisingly limited resources.

Even when you foresee the next narrative-beat, Cuesta ensures the intensity is high and the action is relentless: one scene, manufactured in a controlled IKEA of sorts, is genuinely suffocating with its intensity, while the underground heist sequence ramps up the dial, crank by crank. These set pieces may be flimsy at times but it’s disposable fun that serves their purpose.

In Conclusion: American Assassin

As a passive audience member in search of some light entertainment, American Assassin is more than willing to provide. Battling the flu at the time, it was the perfect film for this reviewer – unspectacular but more than serviceable and worth your (admittedly minor) effort. If you are looking for something with a little more bite to your action-thriller, this Dylan O’Brien-helmed franchise-starter may not be for you – but there’s nothing wrong with surrendering your elusive ‘movie lover’ badge every now and then for a film that registers as something less than sophisticated and elegant, more disposable if you will.

It’s perhaps not as memorable as other spy-thrillers and whether the world needs another male spy-cum-agent is another question altogether: but American Assassin is entertaining and solid enough to find yourself willing this franchise to live another day.

Have you Seen American Assassin? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

American Assassin was released in the UK and US on September 15, 2017. For all international release dates, see here.