Director James Hawes is known for the spy thriller series Slow Horses on Apple TV. Hawes latest tale of intelligence and espionage is a feature length film titled The Amateur.

The aptly titled film follows CIA cryptographer Charles Heller (Rami Malek). After his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, Charles realizes the CIA is doing next to nothing to find the people responsible. Frustrated, angry, and fed up, Charles takes matters into his own hands. Using the little leverage he has, Charles is trained by Henderson (Laurence Fishburne) before he sets out on a globetrotting adventure to hunt down his wife’s killers.  

The premise for the film is as preposterous as it sounds – an office nerd takes on highly trained terrorist. It’s as if Q decided to be James Bond for a week or if Benji was in the field doing his best Ethan Hunt impersonation. Despite how impossible the plot is, The Amateur spends enough time on Charlie’s training to make it believable. He never turns into a skilled killer but uses math and his big brain to get revenge and is always be a step ahead. Malek’s quiet intensity works perfectly for this role. Not to mention Malek’s calm demeanor works perfectly when Charlie is calmly telling someone how they’re going to die.  

The supporting casts, led by Laurence Fishburne and Holt McCallany (as CIA Deputy Director Alex More), works well. McCallany plays a lot of seemingly crooked characters, so it was easy to spot where this plot was going. McCallany’s smug demeanor and unlikeable personality as Director Moore gives the audience someone to dislike other than the generic terrorist Charlie is down.

The plot of the film is following Charlie from one murder to the next. You’re waiting to see who he’s going to kill next and what murderous mousetrap they’re going to unknowingly walk into. The pacing and imaginative ways people are killed make for an entertaining 2 hours. The pool scene, reminiscent of a scene from Mechanic: Resurrection (2016) may be the best kill in the film. That entire sequence at the hotel feels like something from a 90’s action thriller.

It’s surprising the film is as good as it is. There’s nothing new happening in this story. It’s a retread of themes and ideas audiences have seen in some of their favorite action films. However, the recipe of Hawes, Malek, and the supporting casts works. I don’t know why it works, but it does. The film has a perfect balance of newness and nostalgia that makes this thriller more enjoyable than it should be.

The Amateur’s David vs. Goliath spy story is a welcome return to spy thrillers on the 90’s and early 2000’s. It’s a story audiences have seen before with a few refreshing tweaks. If you enjoy action thrillers with a little espionage and a few “wait…can CIA actually do that?” moments, The Amateur will be a fun time.  James Hawes directing alongside Rami Malek’s performance is enough to make to demand a sequel.  

Grade: B