The Amateur (1982)

just watch it!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

By today's standards it seems that every film must have action and unbelievable stunt work sequences every few moments to maintain the audience's attention span. That being said, if that's what you're looking for then you will be disappointed in this film. I, on the other hand, found this film to be fairly good. It's about a CIA operative who works as a cryptologist who's girlfriend is murdered by terrorists. He seeks revenge on the terrorists after being refused by his superiors for the company to take any action to bring the terrorists to justice and manages to come up with some incriminating evidence that the CIA denied having. He then uses the evidence to blackmail his superiors into training him for the mission. He discovers that the terrorists are in Czechoslovakia and of course, his hiding place for the evidence is found by the CIA after he's in Czech territory and before you know it he's trying to dodge both the Czech soldiers and the CIA agents out to silence him once and for all, with a surprising twist at the climax of the film. John Savage does a fairly good job in the title role and Christopher Plummer is a convincingly likable Communist baddie. As I said, if it's action you like then don't bother. But for a more slow paced and realistic film then you may enjoy this.

This movie came out at the time when the Iran hostage situation had ended. The message is very simple: One has to put off a fire with a fire. The only thing that terrorists can understand is their own language of terror. Being civil to terrorists is similar to trying to convert Hitler to becoming a Jew! This is a great entertaining movie, and perhaps what is left with you for a long time is the coldness and cruelty of how Sarah is shot in the head - an innocent soul who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. And Sarah's look just before she is shot speaks volume for the helplessness it presents in front of evil (like those of Islamists).

This movie explores revenge, why, the morality, the effects, so it is somewhat deeper than your usual simple blood revenge flic.The movie starts out portraying the CIA as a bunch of boy scouts. I said to myself "Get real". However, as the layers of the onion peel off, a much darker picture emerges. I won't spoil the surprises.The movie has a very relaxed pace by modern standards.Nicholas Campbell plays a terrorist. You only get to see him for brief glimpses. His astounding good looks are distracting. It is hard to whip up fear or hate for someone so startlingly handsome.The movie keeps you guessing who is behind the relentless legions out to kill our naive hero. His endless narrow escapes from a variety of enemies severely stretch credulity. After all, before this began, he had never even held a gun.I really enjoyed the setting, Prague, including the beautiful warm cozy interiors. Exotic settings are a third of my enjoyment from the genre.Much of the dialog is not in English. There are no subtitles. This is an artistic device, since the hero has only shaky knowledge of languages other than English. It makes you see things from his point of view.The scene where the hero dispatches the female terrorist is shocking, even by today's gruesome standards, with much the effect the piano wire assassination had way back in From Russia With Love.

This movie is along the lines of "Gorky Park," "The Macintosh Man" and "The Spy Who Came In from The Cold." That is, it's a dark, cerebral spy flick. I happen to love this type of movie. However, "The Amateur" pales in comparison to the others mentioned.It could have been remarkable. The basic concept is strong, and several scenes are excellent. However, much of the dialog and editing are plodding, awkward, and slow.Additionally, John Savage is one of the most wooden actors ever to find work in Hollywood. How anyone could have cast him in this role is beyond my comprehension. Keanu Reeves is positively Shakesperian by comparison.I can only imagine how good this film might have been with a little quicker editing, and, say, a young Paul Newman in the lead role.Still, if you're a fan of the genre, and can stay seated through the boring scenes, this is not a bad movie. -just far from a great one.