05 July 2011

DVD REVIEW: THE AMERICAN

DIRECTOR: Anton Corbijn
CAST: George Clooney, Violante Placido
Strange thing about The American is that one of its producers is Mr Clooney himself, which means he was involved in the hiring of director Corbijn. Before this the Holland-born Corbijn had only worked on music videos and had not done a full film feature. How did he get the job? Who knows. All we know is that the movie didn’t get the critical acclaim it might have, neither did it receive much in terms of money at the global box office.


Clooney plays an assassin-cum-gunsmith who leaves busy bright lights for a tranquil life in the Italian countryside. There he meets a beautiful prostitute named Clara (Placido) who seems very interested in him. He also begins having soft feelings for her too. Unfortunately their newfound mutual admiration is about to be rocked by an assassin sent to destroy him.

This movie reminds me of The Godfather: Part II when Michael Corleone visits Sicily and meets his local bride there, who of course ends up being blown up in a car bomb. Here is a man who’s lived his life by the gun, now seems a quiet life, redemption maybe, where people know each other like relatives. He’s the American, a stranger among them, bringing an unusual wind with him.

I must confess to having enjoyed The American. And I dare to say I will be watching the DVD again soon. 

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