• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SEENIT

TV, Film, Broadband, Pay-TV, Games, Computing and Tech | News, Comment & Reviews

  • NEWS
  • UPCOMING BLU-RAYS
  • ADVERTISE
  • Twitter

The American

November 23, 2010 - Staff@seenituk

George Clooney stars in this confused, directionless and ultimately bland adaption of Martin Booth’s 1990 novel A Very Private Gentleman.

Clooney plays an assassin on the run from some bad guys (or were they good guys? the film never says) who decides to go hide in one of those remote Italian villages where everyone’s immediately suspicious of strangers.

While he’s there he’s tasked by an associate to help a fellow assassin (Thekla Reuten) prepare for a mission. So now we have two very obvious strangers in this remote little village. In between testing rifles he finds time to fall in love with the local hooker – cue lots of unnecessary shots of Violante Placido’s breasts – and then, as you will have already guessed, the bad/good guys come looking for Clooney’s character.

But frankly you’re unlikely to care what happens to any of the characters because they’re little more than cliches with minimal levels of dialogue inhabiting a world of familiar-looking but disjointed scenes.

Style-wise the film constantly looks like it’s set in the 50’s or 60’s except the TVs and cars are modern. In a scene where Clooney and Reuten’s characters go on a picnic she’s dressed in what looks to be one of Faye Dunnaway’s cast-offs while Clooney insists on doing what one presumes is his impression of Steve McQueen or Paul Newman.

Except without the acting.

That McQueen/Newman feel is cemented by scenes such as one of Clooney driving along with the camera on the outside of the windscreen, lots of reflection on the glass and Clooney’s wristwatch and arm in the foreground.

It’s like someone’s watched Bullit one too many times.

And if you have no idea what I’m taking about here’s a helpful video from that vastly superior film:

It’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to turn this nonsense into an ad 20 years from now.

Oh, on the plus side there are some great shots of the Italian countryside, stone cottages, wanderings through the village’s backstreets and enchanting music. In fact, you know those beautiful adverts for Stella and small European cars? That’s exactly what this film reminded me of.

I swear, had a “Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme” voiceover popped up over the final car sequence I wouldn’t have been in the least surprised.

What the film lacks – apart from a plot – is any sense of logic. How can a village in the back end of nowhere with no street lights be lit up bright yellow and green at night? Why would an assassin hide in a village full of nosey parkers?

Make no mistake, this is a mess of a movie likely to please only devoted fans of Clooney.

The American opens in UK cinemas Friday November 26th

Twitter users – follow @seenituk for more comment, news and observations.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

RECENT ARTICLES

Paramount+ to launch in Italy next month

Amazon’s Freevee streaming service lands on Apple devices

Warner Bros releases new trailer for Emma Mackey’s Emily

George A. Romero inspired zombie series Day of the Dead is coming to Blu-ray next month 

UPCOMING BLU-RAY RELEASES

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic comes to Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray next month

Eureka to release new trilogy of Boris Karloff classics

Disaster epic Shattered Earth is getting a UK release next month

Eureka to release restored edition of The Most Dangerous Game for 90th Anniversary

POPULAR

CMA approves BT and Warner Bros. Discovery sport channel tie-up

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director’s cut is coming to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in September

Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton to headline new Death in Paradise spin-off

Streaming sticks and Smart TVs will be forced to prominently display UK catch-up apps under new rules

ADVERTISE ON SEENIT

We’re pleased to offer a number of advertising opportunities to high quality brands including sponsored content, competitions and advertising placements.

Please contact us for details.

 

TOPICS

Audio Blu-rays and DVD Cinema Gaming Guides Streaming Telecoms Television

Copyright © 2022 · All Rights Reserved · Contact Us · Copyright · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · StreamedTV.uk