The American

IMDb Link

Remember when smart films were being made? Films where they didn't insult the audiences' intelligence? In the 60s and 70s?

Then people got stupid and Stallone, Segal, and all the other 'action dudes' started making films and a spy film became about explosions, ridiculous plots and bad acting.

And then you have a film like this, which takes you back to the time when films were good and smart.
I admit I didn't want to see this film at first, because I saw the trailer and it looked like some dumb action film. Which surprised me, since Clooney was in it. So, ironically, I didn't go for the same reasons most Americans probably went to see it. I mean, I can imagine it...
'Dude... Action film, and it's called "The American!" Fuck, yeah!'

But then I learned that Corbijn had directed it, and I also heard it was good from a reliable source (someone who likes stories of loneliness and looking at spinning ceiling fans).

And, well... Shit. That's one good film. It's smart, it doesn't insult your intelligence and, yes: it's slow-paced. But it's supposed to be. It's like real life. If your real life was spent in a small Italian village, befriending a priest, sleeping with a hot prostitute, building weapons and hiding from assassins.
Seriously, it seems real, and Clooney is very good as the outsider, albeit a ruthless one (the opening scene was pretty unexpected).
After a while, you feel the paranoia. You never know who's gonna turn against him, you never know when he's gonna turn against someone. Some plot points were a bit predictable, but it doesn't hurt from the overall film. Perhaps the fact that the three women you see are super beautiful makes this a 'Hollywood film.' But hey, if the story's good, the directing's good, the acting's good, then why not have beautiful women on top of that (well, in this case they're mostly under Clooney)?

I did enjoy the scene where, even though it was a bit unnecessary, Clooney sits alone with Renato Carasone's "Tu vuo fa' l'Americano" playing in the background. I liked the fact that a western is playing on a TV and the bartender only says: "Sergio Leone. Italiano." Yes, four of the best westerns ever made, meaning stories about the West, were made by Signor Leone. Not an American. Always important to mention it.
I also quite liked the Italian version of 'Rain.'

If you want to see a good film that feels like a good American 70s film, or a good European film (there are some, apart from the afore-mentioned westerns, I'm told), then watch this film.
If you want to see big explosions and over-the-top love stories, watch 'SALT' or 'Titanic.' Or just shoot yourself. If there were less people like you, there'd be more films like 'The American.'