The American

Rating: 7.8/10

Film Class: C

Genre: Drama, Thriller

The American is a cream of the crop. It's been a while since I last used my favourite tagline... "a hidden gem". An American hitman hides out in Italy awaiting his next mission and gradually fills up the missing spaces in his life.

The budget for the film might be low, with low resolution and grainy cinematography, and though the storyline wasn't anything spectacular, this movie won my heart with the subtle and heart-felt portrayal of the main lead, George Clooney. George Clooney once again brings that "glow" to mediocre films with his realistic acting and his overall mannerism. This movie wouldn't be such a success without the apt choice of casting, and because of the grainy appearance of the film, it brought an unexpected realism to the experience.

In Bruges still tops my list of hitman movies, but The American comes a close second (in the same category of film class that is). A pity it's a R21 movie, because there wasn't anything explicit about the storyline (though neccesary nude scenes)... No explosive car chase scenes, nor any 30-second long hand fight duels, it's just a rough and raw, straight to the point hitman movie.