In recent years, it feels like the espionage genre has dried up. Most spy thrillers have fallen into a particularly stale formula, resulting in unmemorable, cookie-cutter projects. That being said, 2025 has been off to an excellent start for the genre after the critical success of Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag. Yet, after numerous delays, the bar was set relatively low going into The Amateur (2025), with the marketing teasing by-the-book action sequences and monotonous performances. But, to great surprise, acclaimed British television director James Hawes, best known for his work on Slow Horses, Black Mirror, and Penny Dreadful, subverts expectations. For those willing to give it a chance, The Amateur gets increasingly better until the end.
Charles Heller (Rami Malek) is a CIA cryptographer working on a deep underground floor at the George Bush Center for Intelligence at Langley. On a trip abroad to London, his wife Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan) is taken hostage by terrorists. Sadly, her life becomes collateral damage. Under the impression that his supervisors won’t seek justice for his wife’s murder, the decoder decides to take matters into his own hands. Armed with incriminating documents about unsanctioned missions, provided by a mysterious figure he knows only virtually by the name “Inquiline,” Charlie blackmails CIA Deputy Director Alex Moore (Holt McCallany) and his colleague Caleb Horowitz (Danny Sapani) to provide him the tools he needs to carry out his revenge mission.
A Classic Revenge Story with a Fresh Spin
At a CIA training facility, Charlie Heller is overseen by Robert Henderson (Laurence Fishburne). It quickly becomes clear that Charlie is far more psychologically skilled than he is physically. With his mind being his unique weapon, Charlie sets out on a globe-trotting quest, tracking down and devising unorthodox plots to lure each of his targets into custom-designed traps. Based on the 1981 novel of the same name by Robert Littell, this cat-and-mouse espionage premise makes The Amateur stand out from recent spy movies. Additionally, screenwriters Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down) and Gary Spinelli (American Made) add a sharp sense of dark humour to this adaptation, as Charlie cunningly outsmarts the CIA and leaves them scrambling at every turn.
The Amateur is not without its flaws, many of which derive from the script using questionable conveniences when Charlie travels to one country from another while being tracked. Rather than crafting segway sequences to progress the plot, the logistics of what is occurring in terms of getting from point A to point B is overlooked more often than not. This also applies to the passage of time, especially during the first act. Charlie’s grief and guilt over the loss of his wife are what motivate him, and yet the audience isn’t given enough time to see those emotions and reach a breaking point.
“Rami Malek struggles to convey the grief and guilt that lingers over Charlie.”
In fact, all that viewers get in an attempt to showcase those feelings is a scene where Charlie unconvinvingly cries after receiving Sarah’s suitcase back from London. The lack of time to dwell on his emotional torment hinders the first act primarily but also has a knock-on effect on the rest of this revenge narrative. On that note, Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) struggles to convey the grief and guilt that lingers over Charlie. Those heavy emotions are what ultimately drive him to seek vengeance. However, they are hardly visualized on screen. On the other hand, it’s no shock that Malek perfectly suits the notion of a tech-savvy anti-hero; just look at his breakout role as Elliot in Mr. Robot.
The miniscule use of both Rachel Brosnahan (Superman, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and Jon Berthnal (Daredevil: Born Again, The Accountant 2) is another downside. Their roles could have been written with a pressing, emotional purpose instead of merely popping in for small spurts that stiffle the previously well-established pace. The training camp sequence makes up the bulk of Laurence Fishburne’s screen time in The Amateur, despite the marketing campaign suggesting that the Matrix and John Wick star has a similarly weighted role to Rami Malek. His involvement in this espionage thriller is unfortunately scarce and would have only benefitted from his character “Hendo” being included in a wild goose chase with the rouge agent he equipped.
Despite its Flaws, The Amateur Still Maintains Dramatic Suspense
While The Amateur‘s imperfections are quite glaring at certain times, none are prevalent to the point of becoming detrimental to the viewing experience. It feels rare nowadays to find a spy thriller that doesn’t pigeonhole itself into being overly earnest by incorporating forced quippy comedy and unnecessarily hard-to-understand action sequences. Even with all of its rough edges, The Amateur maintains its dramatic suspense at all times, and that makes it more deserving of a watch when compared to the weaker competition.
The Amateur hits theaters on April 11!
Release Date: April 11, 2025.
Directed by James Hawes.
Screenplay by Ken Nolan & Gary Spinelli.
Based on The Amateur by Robert Littell.
Produced by Rami Malek, Hutch Parker, Dan Wilson, & Joel B. Michaels.
Executive Producer: Jonathan Hook.
Main Cast: Rami Malek, Laurence Fishburne, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Danny Sapani, Jon Bernthal, Adrian Martinez, Takehiro Hira, Marc Rissmann, Joseph Millson, Alice Hewkin, & Henry Garrett.
Cinematographer: Martin Ruhe.
Composer: Volker Bertelmann.
Production Company: Hutch Parker Entertainment.
Distributor: 20th Century Studios.
Runtime: 123 minutes.
Rated PG-13.
