*** Official THE AMERICAN Review Thread

Saw The American Wednesday evening. It was ok. Wanted to connect emotionally with this but just really couldn't. Clooney is reasonably effective but I needed more. Lots of glances and stares etc....that do translate into his private unsatisfying life but needed more. It's very slow paced but that's not the issue. I love suspense and don't need more action; just needed a reason to care more. 

I don't think The American will do that well at the Box Office. Think due to it's pacing and methodical approach it might play better at home. The Italy scenery is stunningly beautiful however. Wow. Some of those shots made me want to go there for a vacation one day. 

A pretty generous 7/10.

Just read that Violante Placido/Clara is the daughter of Simonetta Stefanelli who was Apollonia in The Godfather. What a great looking woman.

I sort of liked the film, but really thought the scene of him putting the gun together and assembling the silencer from scratch was great.

What I really didnt like was the closing shot - I thought it was overly sappy.

I like this film, but didn't love it.  I thought Clooney gave a really good performance and the cinematography was excellent, but I had a few problems with the script which downgraded my film grade.

Crawdaddy

I thought this was a decent enough film. I've read some criticism with complaints that the film drags and/or is boring. The pacing was quite deliberate but it didn't feel like an hour and forty-five minutes had passed by the time the film ended. The type of filmmaking in this film reminded me of the original Day of The Jackal. I think the biggest drawback to this film was its predictability. There were really no surprises in the film and it became apparent pretty early on who the target was. I also thought the relationships in the film weren't given enough time to develop naturally which was surprising, considering the run time. The connection between the priest and Jack felt underdeveloped and shallow. It just never really went anywhere. Almost everything to do with the priest could be edited out and I doubt it would be missed. Still, I think this film was a nice change of pace from the type of action/thriller/crime story that normally gets made.