Writer: Ajami Hashim

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Watch this if you liked: "The Hitman", "The Day of the Jackal", "Assassins"

"The American" burns like a slow fire; it gradually flames your feeling from within. A big part of the setting seems a diamond in the rough, where the locale is set in a medieval village among the hills of Castel del Monte, Abruzzo, Italy. Director Anton Corbijn naturally creates a European-ised storyline to fit the setting of the movie. Although "The American" feels plodding, lacking in dialogues and the movie is peppered with lonely moments; it's definitely meaningful and full of suspense!

George Clooney's 'Jack/Edward' character is the driving force in the storyline for the movie. He's a hired assassin, and yet he yearns to retire from his dangerous, brutal career for good. Jack's plan certainly doesn't go well, when his past catches up with him in the form of begrudged hit men, hired by an unknown mastermind!

Jack's fondness of butterflies gives an insight of his character: yearning for freedom, away from his 'filthy' job. He somehow resembles the patterns in a butterfly's wings; a gentleman on the outside, but full of tricks up his sleeve. Jack is also a meticulous man, sharp-minded, a perfectionist and thinks far ahead for his every move, just like a chess player. The most important thing is that Jack is also an opportunist, seeing that his background as a professional hitman.

Jack also meets ironic characters along the way, such as Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli), a priest that challenges his self-esteem to seek absolution. Clara (Violante Placido) is a prostitute that manages to steal Jack's heart, when he's someone who usually toys with women like her just for the sake of pleasure, even to the point of killing these women when the situation arises. Both Father Benedetto and Clara eventually changes Jack's perception in life, making him more adamant to retire.

Even so, his last task from his boss, Pavel (Johan Leysen) would be the finishing line for Jack, whether he succeeds or not. The task's description: build a custom-designed sniper rifle for a female assassin named Mathilde (Thekla Reuten). In the midst of delivering the rifle, he senses that something is wrong with the task given. The idea of 'plot within a plot' in the movie constantly arouses Jack's suspicion for every person that he meets creates intense suspense for "The American". Audiences, as well as Jack will keep on guessing and solving every incident chronologically.

"The American" would be one of the best 'one-man-show' performances for George Clooney after "Michael Clayton" and "Up In The Air". "The American" manages to make audiences think whether the incidents that Jack faces are carefully planned to take him down, or was it him who courted death? Find out for yourself.

Cinema Online, 28 September 2010