The American | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

64% Tomatometer 227 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings

When an assignment in Sweden ends badly, master assassin Jack (George Clooney) retreats to the Italian countryside with the intention of remaining anonymous. In an uncharacteristic move, he becomes friends with a local priest and pursues a torrid romance with a beautiful woman (Violante Placido). But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be making a fatal mistake.

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The American

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Critics Consensus

As beautifully shot as it is emotionally restrained, The American is an unusually divisive spy thriller -- and one that rests on an unusually subdued performance from George Clooney.

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The American | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Deborah Ross The Spectator This is a western wrapped up in an Abruzzo tourism brochure, but that's OK. I now know it's my favourite kind of cowboy film. Aug 30, 2018 Full Review The American | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Michael Atkinson Sight & Sound The American is in fact a double-stunner - a retro-ish Euro-espionage thriller that's written, acted and directed as if it were still 1974. Jul 10, 2018 Full Review The American | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Caryn James Newsday The American doesn't set out to be anything other than a twisty, deliberate film that relies on suspense and paranoia more than car chases and gunplay. The problem is that even on its own artsy terms, the film falls apart long before the end. Feb 7, 2018 Full Review The American | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review The entire picture relies on Clooney’s characterization, but the script by Rowan Joffe, based on the novel A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth, offers nothing but atmosphere without feeling. Rated: 1.5/4 Aug 9, 2023 Full Review The American | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Graeme Tuckett Stuff.co.nz If you're a fan of Jim Jarmusch and Nic Roeg, you might enjoy what Corbijn is trying to do here. Otherwise, don't bother. Nov 11, 2022 Full Review The American | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Despite its title, The American, is a pretentious European cut. [Full review in Spanish] Jul 20, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Lanfranco C The key player of the movie is Abruzzo. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/31/24 Full Review Marc C Slow, boring. It’s like watching Clooney stock shelves and then put together a gun. Yawn fest. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/14/24 Full Review Audience Member I love this movie! Great scenery Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/13/24 Full Review Nick R Subtle, scenery, Clooney, tight, and somehow interesting and distinct all the way to the end. In reading other reviews, it seems like the arthouse (and technical) acumen meant it was graded on a higher curve than most movies, or people simply wanted to zag. This movie was somehow even better on its second viewing. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/16/24 Full Review The_Matthew S You have to be in tune with Anton Corbijn as a Director to love this one. And that's me Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/14/24 Full Review A B Ultimately, stupid. Bad writing choices. The end is just silly. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/14/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Anton Corbijn Director George Clooney Jack Violante Placido Clara Thekla Reuten Mathilde Paolo Bonacelli Father Benedetto Johan Leysen Pavel
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Synopsis When an assignment in Sweden ends badly, master assassin Jack (George Clooney) retreats to the Italian countryside with the intention of remaining anonymous. In an uncharacteristic move, he becomes friends with a local priest and pursues a torrid romance with a beautiful woman (Violante Placido). But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be making a fatal mistake.

Director
Anton Corbijn

Producer
Anne Carey, Jill Green, Ann Wingate, Grant Heslov, George Clooney

Screenwriter
Rowan Joffe

Distributor
Focus Features

Production Co
This Is That Productions, Smoke House, Greenlit Productions

Rating
R (Sexual Content|Nudity|Violence)

Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama, Action

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 1, 2010, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 14, 2015

Box Office (Gross USA)
$35.6M

Runtime
1h 45m

Sound Mix
Dolby Digital, DTS
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