The American

Movie poster for The American starring George Clooney

 The American starring George Clooney is attractive to look at…and that’s about it. The plot deals with an assassin/weapon maker who wants to get out of the game (following a taut opening sequence that leads us to expect more from the movie). 

 Alas, he cannot leave this nasty business without angering his shadowy employer (don’t these hit men ever watch movies about other hit men). So we get a series of scenes set in Italy, with Clooney being taciturn, suspicious, pensive—all with little meaningful interaction with others (don’t get me wrong,-the movie thinks it’s meaningful, but it really isn’t). I looked at my watch a lot, but the time didn’t move any faster.

Mike Peros
Mike Peros is an author whose new book, JOSE FERRER: SUCCESS AND SURVIVAL, the first biography of the Oscar and Tony-winning actor, has just been published by the University Press of Mississippi, while his previous book, DAN DURYEA: HEEL WITH A HEART is now available in paperback.