THE Amateur might sound like another espionage-laced action romp with a tragic backstory, but beneath the high-stakes CIA jargon and global manhunts lies something surprisingly tender: a broken man, a lost love and a whole lot of emotional unpacking... with guns, of course.
Directed by James Hawes, this adaptation of Robert Littell’s 1981 novel is not trying to reinvent the spy genre, but it does manage to slide a tissue-worthy tale of grief and purpose into a movie filled with encrypted data, shadowy figures and international conspiracies. Viewers expecting John Wick: CIA Edition might be caught off guard, in the best way. What starts with loss quickly snowballs into one man’s mission that feels less like a standard hero arc and more like an internal combustion of rage and regret wrapped in a trench coat.
Sadboy spy supreme
Casting Rami Malek as Charlie, a socially awkward decoder from Langley who gets thrust into a very literal world of hurt, is a masterstroke. Malek does not just act, he simmers. His performance brings a haunting intensity to a character who is anything but typical. There is no bravado here, just a quiet desperation fueling his every move. Somehow, Malek manages to blend vulnerability with sharp, unnerving precision, making his transition from cryptographer to unorthodox field operative feel oddly plausible.
And while the script dances with the usual tropes (wife lost in tragic explosion, upper management refuses to act, lone man goes rogue), Malek ensures Charlie never becomes a cardboard cutout. He is not slick or suave, he is smart, sad and severely out of his depth, but also frighteningly determined. By the end of the film, viewers might find themselves wondering if he is still the same man who once translated coded memos in a basement.
Revenge is a love language
Beneath the espionage and tension lies the film’s secret weapon: heart. While not marketed as a romance, The Amateur hinges entirely on one. Every decision, every desperate move, every coded message is rooted in a profound love story and that is what gives the film its emotional heft.
But make no mistake, this is not a Nicholas Sparks novel with silencers. The action is crisp, the tension palpable and the chases, both physical and psychological are executed with sharp direction and a strong supporting cast. Laurence Fishburne brings gravitas as a conflicted superior, while Rachel Brosnahan gives soul to a character that might have otherwise been reduced to a narrative device. Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal and Michael Stuhlbarg also add depth, keeping the momentum grounded with layers of murky morality and shifting allegiances.
Questionable realism, CIA-level trickery
Now, let us talk about that ending without talking about that ending. Yes, it is emotionally satisfying. Yes, it ties things together in an unexpected way. But is it believable? Well, not entirely. Some might argue it stretches logic like a wiretap on a dial-up modem. Yet somehow, the film earns the right to get away with it. It is as if the audience has been conditioned by the film’s slower, cerebral build-up to accept a little narrative absurdity for the sake of emotional payoff.
By the time the credits roll, there is a collective feeling of “Wait, he actually did that?” but not in a groan-worthy way. It is less about what happens and more about the fact that he pulled it off. Like a twist pulled from the same drawer as a magician’s final trick, it is undeniably flashy and slightly suspect but satisfying all the same.
Genre-bender worth watching
Despite its title, The Amateur is anything but clumsy. It walks the tightrope between action and introspection with surprising finesse. It is part spy thriller, part character study, part love letter to anyone who has ever whispered I told you so while stepping over a pile of bureaucratic red tape.
It may follow the nice guy goes rogue formula to some extent, but it plays out with an emotional honesty that sets it apart from other entries in the genre. Think Taken, but the dad has a psychology degree, speaks five languages and flinches when he fires a gun. That is the kind of film this is.
The Amateur should not be approached as an adrenaline-fueled blockbuster. Instead, it is best viewed as a love story cleverly disguised as a spy thriller. With Malek’s nuanced performance leading the charge, it is a gripping, if sometimes implausible, portrait of grief, vengeance and what happens when an ordinary man decides he has had enough.
It is not flawless but it is fearless in its emotional ambition. A film that asks: what if the quiet guy in the back room is the most dangerous man in the building?
DIRECTOR: James Hawes
CAST: Rami Malek, Laurence Fishburne, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal
E-VALUE: 7/10
PLOT: 6/10
ACTING: 7/10
