Cast: Rami Malek, Michael Stuhlbarg, Laurence Fishburne, Rachel Brosnahan, Jon Bernthal, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Evan Milton
Director: James Hawes
Rating: 2/5
Runtime: 123 min.

“The Amateur” has an ordinary man doing extraordinary things. It’s a spy thriller but the character in the center of it all, Charles (played by Rami Malek) doesn’t have the personality to make it believable. The narrative here merely goes through the motions of trying to make things believable but the story is so outlandish that its hard to suspend your disbelief even for a short while.

He works for the CIA but as a lowly decoder(akin to a desk job), is nerdy and has little time for fun and games. Then his life gets turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack. The grief stricken guy wants revenge but his top bosses are not obliging, so he has to find a way to do the deed himself. It’s a far-fetched cock and bull story that we’ve seen umpteen times and in a far more believable fashion. This one fails to work up any conviction or steam as it chalks up its kills en route to achieving Charles goals.