MovieChat Forums > The American (2010) Discussion > I am a movie lover

I am a movie lover

posted 11 years ago by WilliamThatcher
4 replies | jump to latest

It takes a lot for me to say that I disliked any movie. But this... my god.

The story could have been told in a 3 minute short. There are minimalist films for the sake of story telling and then there are minimalist films for the sake of being minimalist films. This was the latter. Showing me a nice rack for 2 minutes is not going to change my mind, though an appreciated try. I can't understand why Clooney did this.

I recommend you stay away from this. If you want to see a far better, similar assassin/spy movie with much more content and emotion then I recommend In Bruges. If you want to see a far better, similar minimalist/mercenary movie with much more story and lasting effect then I recommend The Hunter. (Both are currently on Netflix I believe)

[–] joolztoolz 11 years ago

I have to agree ... sort of.

It's almost not bad but I think you do have a point in some respects. Hollywood seems to fall back on long sex scenes as a means to establish some sort of romance between characters in a film I find. And this one did. Although it was interesting and who knows what the filmmakers were thinking with another 'prostitute with a heart of gold' theme. "This time she means it!" hahaha

I liked that he was some sort of master machinist type guy..but what sort of bugged me was that scene when he delivers the gun to the hit woman and times her putting it together. Maybe he's methodical that way but why not just show him looking at his watch instead of actually showing the watch face? Clearly she knows what she's doing and he ought to be able to gleen her skill level from simply observing her assembling it without timing her. And what difference would it make to him anyway whether she had skills or not?

There were weird side elements in there that were redundant. The poor little lambs on their way to be stew...and come to think of it--can a person discern another's technical skill based on their hand shape?

Oh! Thanks for the tip on In Bruges--I've been kind of wanting to see that one and I'll check out the other one too.

I have the patience of a saint when it comes to movies -- I watched Solaris and enjoyed it--but this was just boring and long and not in any artistic way.

I sometimes worry about where movies are going to go in the next 50 years--perhaps Hollywood will get even lazier and just give the villains black t-shirts with the words "Bad Guy" printed on them.

I am a leaf on the wind - watch how I soar.

[–] hoticewater 11 years ago

I sometimes worry about where movies are going to go in the next 50 years--perhaps Hollywood will get even lazier and just give the villains black t-shirts with the words "Bad Guy" printed on them.

I had a laugh there =D.

I agree with pretty much all of your points. The part where he timed her putting the gun together seemed to be both a nod to 007 and a shameless Omega plug -- and completely pointless. This film has several other nods to 007 as well, including the brief case combo of 014 and the handguns. On top of that, Clooney is an ambassador for Omega (or used to be at least, not sure if he still is), which makes the scene even more nauseating.

Building the gun and silencer was, in my opinion as well, the best part of the movie.

I think you'll enjoy In Bruges. It really is a great movie; unexpectedly powerful. I think I'll watch it again soon.

--- This is how you will recognize me ---

[–] eddiewinehosen 11 years ago

Please it's not Hollywood anything.
If you're going to bash something then at least get your facts straight. It's an independent European movie done by a Dutch director with an all European cast except for Clooney.
I agree that Hollywood today has become a home for sequels, prequels and reboots but no matter if you like, love, dislike or hate this movie it can't be blamed on/credited to Hollywood.

[–] bigmyc04 10 years ago

I too am a huge fan of the two movies that you recommended over "the American" but I disagree with your grouping of them. Each of the three have a single main theme element in common and that's basically where they diverge. Of course, the common denominator of the mercenary is what makes them similar type movies. "The American" is a deeper movie than you seem to represent. There are clear patterns and overlapping themes and of course, all portrayed by subtle symbolism. I wouldn't be so bold as to suggest that the other two movies are superior simply based upon the fact that each movie should be held up to it's own standard. They are different movies after all with different moods and styles to convey their points.