‘The Amateur' review: An analog '80s spy tale gets a wobbly update starring Rami Malek
Just when movie theaters don't need another one, 'The Amateur' comes along to join the roster of 2025 releases that lack the knack, the juice and exciting reasons for theatergoers to theater-go.
The film comes from Robert Littell's 1981 spy thriller, previously adapted for the screen in a Canadian project. The novel takes place in the early '70s, a time when the tools and strategies of espionage belong to an analog Iron Curtained era of surveillance. This Rami Malek showcase, directed by James Hawes of the staggeringly better 'Slow Horses' series, reworks the material via Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli's screenplay (aided by no less than eight other writers' uncredited efforts, according to Variety) for a contemporary setting.
On a business trip to London, the wife (Rachel Brosnahan) of CIA cryptology and coding whiz Charlie Heller (Malek) is killed in a terrorist attack. Walloped by grief and rage, Charlie wonders why his superiors seem so blasé about holding the perps to account. His supervisor is played by Holt McCallany, a fine actor who makes the unfortunate mistake of never for a second seeming remotely trustworthy.
At heart, 'The Amateur' relies on Charlie's inward transformation from nerd to rogue killing-machine nerd, as he tracks down his wife's assailants one by one, from London to Paris to Marseille to Madrid to Istanbul to Russia, without the curtain. Along the way he's beset by double agents and a CIA-backed mentor/frenemy played by Laurence Fishburne. He manages what McCallany and others in the cast do not: an air of authority nicely cut by a dash of mystery.
There are some nice bits, among them Charlie consulting a YouTube lock-picking instruction video. Director Hawes' finished product, dutiful and impersonal, goes to geopolitical extremes to disregard any geopolitical realities. The movie is a little John le Carré, a little Robert Ludlam, a little Jason Bourne and a little boring. Off the coast of Russia, the watery climax pitting Charlie's newly acquired espionage skills against Mr. Big (Michael Stuhlbarg, with that look in his eye that says 'Once again, I must be better than my dialogue') offers all the zing of a trip to the Apple store for an iPhone problem. The movie adaptation deletes Charlie's love affair with a newfound ally, found in Littell's novel, because he's nicer that way, I guess? More admirably focused on revenge killings?
As for Malek: Full of talent, and intriguing charisma. Also a bit of a plodder when it comes to delivering routine exposition. There are many world-class screen actors in the world, from Joaquin Phoenix to Harrison Ford, whose toolkits don't necessarily include nimble verbal facility and an easy variety of rhythms and intensity. 'The Amateur' might well have been several minutes shorter with a different leading actor. But you'd still have a film neither here nor there. And updating the technology of a spy movie, along with the ethnicity of the antagonists, goes only so far in getting the thing to cohere.
How to watch: Premieres in theaters April 11
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
FIRST ON FOX: High ranking DOJ official resigns post to run for attorney general in red state
FIRST ON FOX: Aaron Reitz, a top official in President Donald Trump's Department of Justice, has resigned his post in the administration to run for attorney general of Texas, entering what he is calling a "fight for the soul of Texas." Reitz, a former Marine and chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, served in the Trump administration under U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as the assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Policy. Following speculation of a possible run for Texas attorney general, one of the most powerful positions in the state, Reitz resigned his position with the DOJ on Wednesday and officially launched his campaign the day after. "If we lose Texas, we lose the Republic," Reitz said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital. 205 Arrested In Fbi Child Sex Operation, Patel And Bondi Announce "This is no time for half-measures or untested cowards," he said, adding, "We are in a fight for the soul of Texas, our nation, and Western civilization itself." Read On The Fox News App "As Attorney General, I'll use every ounce of legal firepower to defend President Trump, crush the radical Left, advance the America and Texas First agenda, and look out for everyday Texans," he said. This comes as current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is running in hopes of replacing incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in one of the most hotly contested primary races of the year. Reitz pledged to partner with the Trump administration to "clean up the border catastrophe with mass deportations and enhanced border security, take down the Soros-backed district attorneys, obliterate woke indoctrination, expose and root out election fraud, and defend our Constitutional rights without apology." John Cornyn Scores Tim Scott Endorsement, But John Rich Calls Cornyn 'The Lindsey Graham Of Texas' Reitz touted his conservative bona fides, saying, "I've spent my entire career in the trenches with the toughest conservatives in America." He is likely to garner endorsements from some of the country's leading Republicans, with DOJ officials, including Bondi, giving him a string of fond farewells after he announced his departure. In an X post Bondi said: "I'm proud to have worked with @aaron_reitz at @TheJusticeDept. Aaron played a central role in our work to Make America Safe Again — his next chapter will surely contribute to @POTUS's mission, and I look forward to seeing what Aaron does next in his home state of Texas!" FBI Director Kash Patel also chimed in, saying "Aaron is a personal friend, great American, and a relentless advocate for law and order. Thanks for serving our country, now it's time to deliver on his next mission. Good luck." Bondi Announces One Of Largest Fentanyl Seizures In Us History Before serving in the Trump administration and on Cruz's staff, Reitz previously held the position of Texas Deputy Attorney General for Legal Strategy under Paxton. In December, Paxton spoke very highly of Reitz, saying, "he's a proven and effective fighter for our Constitution and American Values" who was "our 'offensive coordinator' leading my very aggressive Texas-v-Biden docket." Paxton said that while working in his office Reitz "spearheaded some of our agency's most consequential actions on border security, immigration, Big Tech, Covid, energy, the environment, and election integrity." Texas Republican state Senator Mayes Middleton, another pro-Trump conservative, is also running for attorney article source: FIRST ON FOX: High ranking DOJ official resigns post to run for attorney general in red state
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Supreme Court of Canada to hear appeal in long-running Facebook privacy case
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to review a ruling that concluded Facebook broke federal privacy law by failing to adequately inform users of risks to their data when using the popular social media platform. Last September, the Federal Court of Appeal found Facebook, now known as Meta Platforms, did not obtain the meaningful consent required by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act between 2013 and 2015. The decision overturned a 2023 Federal Court ruling. The Court of Appeal said Facebook invited millions of apps onto its platform and did not adequately supervise them. It found that the Federal Court's failure to engage with the relevant evidence on this point was an error of law. Privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne called the Court of Appeal decision an acknowledgment that international firms whose business models rely on users' data must respect Canadian privacy law. Facebook applied for a hearing at the Supreme Court, arguing the Court of Appeal took the wrong approach to consent and security safeguards under the privacy law. It said in a written application that, rather than evaluating Facebook's multi-layered efforts to obtain meaningful consent, the Court of Appeal focused myopically on the platform's privacy policy alone. The Supreme Court, following its usual practice, gave no reasons Thursday for agreeing to hear the case. A 2019 investigation report from then-federal privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien and his British Columbia counterpart cited major shortcomings in Facebook's procedures and called for stronger laws to protect Canadians. The probe followed reports that Facebook let an outside organization use a digital app to access users' personal information, which was then passed to others. The app, at one point known as "This is Your Digital Life," encouraged users to complete a personality quiz but collected information about the people who installed the app and data about their Facebook friends. Recipients of the information included the British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which was involved in U.S. political campaigns and targeted messaging. About 300,000 Facebook users worldwide added the app, leading to the potential disclosure of the personal information of approximately 87 million others, including more than 600,000 Canadians, the commissioners' report said. The commissioners concluded that Facebook violated PIPEDA by failing to obtain valid and meaningful consent from installing users and their friends, and that it had "inadequate safeguards" to protect user information. Facebook disputed the investigation's findings. The company has said it tried to work with the privacy commissioner's office and take measures that would go above and beyond what other companies do. In early 2020, Therrien asked the Federal Court to declare Facebook had violated the law. A judge ruled the commissioner failed to establish that Facebook breached the law on meaningful consent. He also agreed with Facebook's argument that once a user authorizes it to disclose information to an app, the social media company's safeguarding duties under PIPEDA come to an end. In its decision, the Court of Appeal noted Facebook's contention that users read privacy policies presented to them when they sign up to social networking websites — something the judges called "a dubious assumption" given such documents can run to thousands of words. "Terms that are on their face superficially clear do not necessarily translate into meaningful consent," Justice Donald Rennie wrote for a three-member panel. "Apparent clarity can be lost or obscured in the length and miasma of the document and the complexity of its terms." In this case, Rennie said, a central question was whether a reasonable person "would have understood that in downloading a personality quiz (or any app), they were consenting to the risk that the app would scrape their data and the data of their friends, to be used in a manner contrary to Facebook's own internal rules (i.e. sold to a corporation to develop metrics to target advertising in advance of the 2016 U.S. election)." This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025. Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Sarah Jessica Parker Shares Reaction to Learning Fans Didn't Like ‘And Just Like That' Character Che
Sarah Jessica Parkeradmitted she was surprised to learn that fans didn't like And Just Like That…character Che Diaz, played by Sara Ramirez. While speaking to The Guardian on June 6, Sarah, 60, said she had no idea that so many fans didn't like the controversial nonbinary character until a friend brought it up to her. "A friend of mine brought it up to me, and it's like: 'What are you talking about?'" she recalled. "And he said: 'Yeah, there's all this conversation.' I've been an actor for 50 years, and I've almost never paid attention to peripheral chatter." Sarah added that she "loved working with" Sara, 49, who is also nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. It was revealed in February 2024 that Sara would not return as standup comic Che after appearing on And Just Like That… for the first two seasons. Shortly after the show's debut in 2021, Che quickly became a meme and the butt of the joke among many viewers. The Grey's Anatomy alum reflected on the backlash while speaking to Variety in June 2022. "Other people's opinions of a character - that's not something I can allow into my process," they said. "I choose what I receive, right? That's the beauty of being grown - I don't have to receive everything!" Che was romantically involved with original Sex and the City character Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon), while they also worked on a podcast with Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker). In addition to discussing the backlash surrounding Che, Sarah also reflected on Sex and the City's popularity among Gen Z. "It's curious, because their lives are so different – the language they use around dating is different," she told The Guardian about the younger generation. "They're less patient. They're more punitive. They're not as forgiving of people's shortcomings. I'm not condemning it, it's just what I've heard. So it's really interesting that they feel so spirited about it." One topic that the younger viewers have strong opinions on is Carrie's relationship with Mr. Big (Chris Noth). The couple dated on and off throughout the original series, and they faced several obstacles before they wed during the first Sex and the City movie in 2008. Big eventually died during the season premiere of And Just Like That… The relationship has faced backlash, with many viewers believing that they didn't have a healthy dynamic. "It doesn't mean they aren't objecting to Big and Carrie's relationship, or the way he treated her, or choices Carrie made," Sarah continued about the younger fans' views of the show. "But people had those strong feelings back then, too." When asked if she was disappointed by any of the original show's plot lines, Sarah admitted that viewers could sometimes be "disheartened" by seeing what the characters went through. "But the show is also about finding home and contentment, whatever home means to you," she continued. "I feel that 20- and 30-year-olds should be searching. There should be something in the distance that's important and exciting, and worth the wait. Part of it is rather dreary that great women of all ages are still incredibly frustrated by the dating scene, but I also see a lot of happy endings." Copyright 2025 A360 Media. All rights reserved.
