THE AMATEUR TRAILER 1
A mild CIA desk jockey goes on the warpath after a group of international terrorists kills his wife, and traditional bureaucracy won’t get the job done. This is the 1st trailer for The Amateur.
CIA cryptographer Charlie Heller (Rami Malek) is a mild-mannered family man, unconcerned with the goings-on of his colleagues in the field. But everything changes when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack. To the amusement of his boss (Holt McCallany), Heller demands to be placed in the field, but is denied.
On the warpath, Heller goes rogue and is determined to hunt down his wife’s killers with the help of a brash trainer (Lawrence Fishburne). Despite lacking a killer instinct, Heller utilizes his extensive knowledge of technology to evade both his enemies and his stunned superiors.
Soon, he’ll have the tools to do what the US government couldn’t: end those who wronged him, permanently.
In comparison to the source IP’s previous 1981 adaptation, this version feels shackled to modern “man on a mission” action-based sensibilities, and it drags the film’s tone down. The original film was centered on an everyman who was collateral damage to big government, and was forced to fight his way out. This version’s themes focuses on grassroot vigilante behavior, which makes it feel less unique in a post-Rambo/John Wick world.
Star Rami Malek is reliably intense, oscillating between a timid geek and a haunted vigilante on a warpath, but is let down by the trailer’s inconsistent writing that can’t seem to make up its mind on how heroic to make its protagonist.
Structurally, the trailer doesn’t maintain the film’s mystique, giving away numerous plot points in an effort to spice up an espionage-heavy movie with blockbuster action beats. And it makes the film’s scale and tone muddled. Genuinely fresh beats of Heller outsmarting CIA security clash with horrendously goofy moments of Heller somehow blowing up a rooftop pool.
If the final film is able to solidify its identity and focus on maintaining the tight writing of the source IP, it has potential as a solid bench player for 20th Century Studios. But, if the trailer is any indication, The Amateur will be another film bogged down by mainstream blockbuster action tropes which will neuter any unique identity found in the script.
Directed by James Hawes, The Amateur will release theatrically in the US on April 11, 2025. The movie stars Rami Malek in the lead role.
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