Product Details

• Actors: George Clooney, Thekla Reuten, Violante Placido, Paolo Bonacelli, Irina Björklund
• Directors: Anton Corbijn
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Focus Features
• DVD Release Date: December 28, 2010
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (255 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002ZG993Q
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,203 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The American" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Academy Award® winner George Clooney is The American in this sexy suspense thriller from director Anton Corbijn. After a job ends more violently than expected, Jack (Clooney) retreats to the Italian countryside and accepts one last assignment to construct a deadly weapon for a mysterious contact. But when he pursues a relationship with a beautiful local woman, he may be tempting fate by stepping out of the shadows. Jack soon finds himself in an escalating battle to escape from his secretive past, in the film critics are calling “4 Stars! Riveting and irresistible!” (Joe Neumaier, NY Daily News)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

156 of 182 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific, though it's not what you expect...., September 4, 2010

By 

Jason Bean (Iowa City, IA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The American (DVD)

I find 'The American' a hard sell as a film. It's not an action-thriller like the trailers make it out to be, nor would I call it a character drama or art house piece. I can't see either of these audiences appreciating this film on the level it wants you to. I think that's why I like it so much, there's nothing else like it in theaters (at least not right now).

'The American' is about cold-blooded professional "Jack" who, after being attacked in Sweden with his girlfriend (which ends violently but not the way you think) is directed by his associate to hide out in a small town in Italy. He ends up friending a priest and a prostitute and takes a job building/modifying a weapon for an assassin. Of course his old enemies catch up to him but the movie chooses more to focus on the main character's slow change from cold-professional to 'maybe' redeemable human being. There's some (very good) action and sex but the story's told in a very leisurely fashion with little dialogue. It's more about what's NOT said between and by characters that gives this movie it's weight and suspense.

The camera work in this film is stunning, and that's a good thing. With the action and unrevealing dialogue taking a back-seat the movies' long, beautiful shots of Italy really set the movie's mood well and gives the sense of isolation and seeming solitude for it's main character. The slow moving scenes of repetition involving the main character constructing a weapon and the brief word exchanges between the main character and another assassin (a terrific Thekla Reuten) perfectly reflects the mindset the film is in.

George Clooney took a big risk being cast in this film. It's unconventional and will easily put off his usual fans. I can even understand his performance of such a cold-hearted character being written off as one dimensional. I can only say I found Clooney perfectly convincing the entire way through and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves. The rest of the cast is non-americans with Violante Placido a stand-out (in more ways than one) as the prostitute whom Clooney befriends and eventually seems to fall for.

The DVD release of 'The American' looks very slick (even on my crappy tube-television) and comes with an insightful making-of that sheds light on the ideas the directors and producers put into the film. While there are some great cast interviews sadly there's not one with George Clooney. I would've loved to know his take on his character but there is some fun 'behind the camera' footage of him chatting and playing around with the rest of the crew so it's obvious he had fun making this movie.

As I said 'The American' is not for everyone and is very much NOT the movie it's advertised as. It's a slow-moving, adult thriller that manages to be engaging and unpredictable without non-stop action and dialogue. For the right audience this film's a winner!

61 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The American, September 9, 2010

By 

DukeD1989 "Film Buff" (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American (DVD)

"The American" is a superbly crafted, visually captivating and subtle character driven drama with an incredibly 70's European style and sensibility. Be warned those looking for an action filled generic thriller will be severely disappointed. This is an artful character study about a troubled assassin nearing the end of what we can tell to be a long career. The general tone of the film mirrors that of the characters personality, a tense and emotionally reserved perfectionist. There is not too much emotion through much of the film because like its main character it is hard for him and the film to open up, or let anyone in. This is probably the most suspenseful film I have seen this year. It becomes hard to trust anyone he meets and I found myself becoming just as paranoid as he was at times. The performances were all wonderful, this was the most reserved I have seen Clooney since "Syriana". He played the character with such subtly and depth. I thought the end was fantastic. I felt it was the only fitting conclusion to this story. Although this ending isn't the most original, with the help of Corbijn's meticulous story telling and Clooney's performance I found it to be quite upsetting.

I can completely understand why some do not like this film but I absolutely loved it. I thought it was so fascinating and so well crafted. It was shot so beautifully and felt so much like it could have been a film by Jean-Pierre Melville. I can easily understand any comparison to "Le Samourai" because they really are very similar. I couldn't disagree more with what a lot of critics have said about this but I can understand that is just isn't for everyone. For me, it is easily the best film I have seen so far this year.

39 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bad marketing/Evocative movie, November 17, 2010

By 

David Mills (Amsterdam) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American (DVD)

The American' is a quietly powerful story and badly marketed by Focus Features. This is a slow burn character study that is ultimately very close to a remake of Jean-Pierre Melville's film 'Le Samourai'.

Director Anton Corbijn and scribe Rowan Joffe have taken Martin Booth's novel and crafted a real masterpiece here. George Clooney gives a top 5 performance as an assassin with a moral crisis of sorts, and those who stick with this film are rewarded.

BUT: It's definitely not for everyone. Those who are game for it are likely to become big fans. The film likely won't do much damage in the Oscar race, but that doesn't mean it isn't deserving of attention, because it definitely is. Jack (Clooney) is an assassin hiding out in a small Italian village. While there, he's supposed to keep a low profile and just wait for his next assignment. According to his boss (Johan Leysen) it's supposed to be simple, he'll just be making a custom rifle for another assassin (Thekla Reuten), not evening firing it. His lack of connection to the world gets to him however, and he soon finds himself seeing a local prostitute (Violante Placido) and befriending the town's priest (Paolo Bonacelli). Occasionally, someone will try to kill Jack, but that's almost beside the point in this film. The focus is far more on the potential romance with the prostitute and the possibly redemption of Jack's soul.

George Clooney is excellent here, taking risks again as an actor and stripped of all of his charm. He's rarely been better than he is here. The film lives and dies by his performance, and he's more than up to the challenge. The movie would suffer if a lesser actor was in the role. He's supported by an almost exclusively foreign cast, and they accent Clooney well, while not stealing the spotlight. Leysen is mostly seen talking to Clooney on the phone, but he's suitably menacing. Reuten comes off as both sexy and deadly, which is essentially for her scenes with Clooney. As for his two non-violent companions, his chemistry with Placido is very strong (and sexual...she's not afraid of nudity in the least), while it's more of a father-son thing with Bonacelli. No one here is bad, but it's the Clooney show through and through in this flick. Corbijn is a visual stylist while not being flashy, in the vein of the directors of the 1970's. Here he lingers on shots of Italy, making the village almost a character unto itself. Some might fault his extraordinarily slow pacing, but I found it more deliberate than "slow", per say. The script by Joffe is good, but wouldn't be what it is without Corbijn directing it and Clooney acting in it. Of the three major players, Corbijn is most deserving of awards attention, but ironically is the least likely to receive it. On the Oscar front, the film is good enough to be mentioned in the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography fronts, but if any will happen, it'll be Cinematography of Martin Ruhe getting recognized. The flick is just too "indie" for a mainstream release (creating a lot of disgruntled viewers, like the one below) AND rated R for nudity, so it'll divide audiences and voters rather than uniting them. That's not a recipe for success, but it takes nothing away from the quality of the movie. 'The American' is one of the better releases of 2010. It won't satisfy those looking for a shoot-em-up, clean cut storytelling, or a neat denouement, but if you're in the mood for something different, this is a real treat.