If you were to describe a typical action hero from the movies, you’d probably say something like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Bruce Willis or a James Bond type. You might even say Jason Bourne, although that is not quite the norm Hollywood would produce. Now we have an action hero who doesn’t fit any previous categories and is definitely one for the computer generation. An ordinary guy taking on the tough guys and using brains instead of brawn. That’s the premise for The Amateur, a decent spy thriller that decides to go a different route but ends up with the same conclusion.

Charles Heller is a decoder for the CIA who uncovers some dirty dealings within the organisation. Just as he is about to blow their cover, his wife is murdered in a hostage situation, leaving Heller with little hope of his seniors going after the men who committed the crime. He decides the only option is to hunt them down himself, but with no skills in killing, he has to use the one thing he does have: his brain.

Based on a book by Robert Littell, which was made into a movie back in 1981 with John Savage, this new version uses the source material and gives it an update, with computer surveillance, AI and encrypted messaging as the means to track down the men responsible, although, with the Signal scandal still fresh in mind, this could be looked upon as a period piece. Director James Hawes, whose previous movie was the brilliant One Life and was responsible for 6 episodes in the Apple TV show Slow Horses, this has the feel and the style of a 70s conspiracy thriller.

The pace at the start is deliberately slow, so we can learn a little about Heller, his skill set, his position in the CIA, and his love for his wife. She goes to London, where she is taken hostage, and he finds himself grieving for her loss. It’s not until he realises that his superiors, who are under his radar in the first place, are not rushing to find her killers that he decides to take his revenge but doesn’t know where to start. We then get a brief introduction to Henderson, a CIA assassin who tries but fails to teach him how to be a ruthless, cold-blooded killer.

The film then speeds up as Heller heads around the world to hunt for the men. Instead of using the typical tourist shots of Paris and Turkey, Hawes uses the more mundane to tell his story and give it a richer, more authentic feel. Spies wouldn’t wander around the Eiffel Tower, but the back streets and off-the-beaten-track. He then litters the film with smart action set pieces that perfectly fit the character’s handling of the situation. Throw into the pot a few chases, and you get a film that would look out of place next to Robert Redford’s Three Days of the Condor.

Sadly, the issue with the movie is twofold. The finale, set on a boat, is utterly ludicrous, and you somehow let the rest of the film down. The second thing is that while it is on and you are watching it, it’s thoroughly entertaining and has some clever ideas, but it just feels like it will be lost in the memory after a few weeks. There is nothing remarkable about it, nothing that stands out.

In the lead role, Remi Malik is superb. He doesn’t look like your typical action hero, making it work quite well. Having played the villain in Daniel Craig’s last outing as Bond, No Time To Die, it’s refreshing to see that Malik can turn to the other side of the coin and be the guy we root for. Laurence Fishbourne, as Henderson, makes for a good counterbalance to Malik’s meeker character, and even after all these years, he is still a badass.

The Amateur is a decent thriller that tries something different and, for the most, succeeds. Yet the ending lets it down, and while it does have a human being leading the way, it just doesn’t have the staying power and will be a forgotten gem you rediscover in years to come.

3 out of 5

Director: James Hawes

Starring: Remi Malik, Laurence Fishbourne, Rachel Brosnahan, Jon Bernthal, Evan Milton, Nick Mills, Michael Stuhlbarg, Tiffany Gray, Adrian Martinez

Written by: Ken Nolan, Gary Spinelli and (based on the novel) Robert Littell

Running Time: 123 mins

Cert: 12A

Release date: 11th April 2025