The Amateur
Directed by James Hawes
After his life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, a brilliant but introverted CIA decoder takes matters into his own hands when his supervisors refuse to take action.
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The Amateur Ratings & Reviews
- Alex | Pop Culture BrainApril 11, 2025A plane movie if ever I've seen one.
- Kit LazerApril 10, 2025Jesus Christ, it’s Jason Bourne’s IT guy. No one, and I mean no one, fridges Lois Lane and gets away with it.
- rampage98May 2, 2025This is what everyone that loves Jason Bourne movies fantasizes about. Computer geek with superior IQ and tosses themselves on a righteous mission. What could go wrong?! Some missed opportunities and dead-end cameos, but overall worth the time!
- jthygesenAugust 8, 2025Freddie Mercury is pissed that the terrorists killed Lois Lane so he gets trained by Morpheus and The Punisher to enact his revenge
- NiztradamusMarch 17, 2026Good action thriller with some drawbacks. Rami Malek plays his usual self, an awkward computer mastermind, this time however working for the CIA. When his wife gets killed he wants revenge but is blocked by his bosses that, very predictably but also very illogically try to kill him. It's these sort of plot holes and illogical decision making that took away from an otherwise really good movie... and the one German guy definitely never spoke a word of German before this movie shoot.
- CriticalPointMarch 16, 2026This snuck up on us. It looked weak from the moment Moore and Horowitz started laughing at Heller in Moore’s office, we felt this would be the vibe, but I am so glad that wasn’t the case. What happened after was a journey! Awesome movie!
- northshore4meMarch 6, 2026Great story line. Good mix of actors while the narrative keeps you engaged.
- nykfisttMarch 2, 2026One too many implausible eventualities that made it feel a little ridiculous at times, but Malek and the rest of the cast are great, so it still gets a recommendation from myself.
- Clarence BoddickerFebruary 25, 2026This came out of nowhere for me! A really neat thriller with all the right ingredients! Rami did an excellent job (I only know him from the video game "Until Dawn") and Laurence Fishburne is as good as ever!
- Oʂɯαʅԃσ RσყҽƚƚJune 11, 2025This is a great little film with some superb acting and great scenes. Rami Malek and Lawrence Fishburn are fantastic with top notch performances. It is Malek who steals the show, he can be happy, sad, loving then evil the next. A versatile actor, he's great to watch.
- ርልዪረJune 12, 2025What I liked most about The Amateur is that it doesn’t recycle the same formula that countless other male revenge thrillers have used for ages. The hero of this movie isn’t a former secret agent/black ops/paramilitary soldier with expert knowledge of weaponry and lethal hand-to-hand combat skills. Not that I have anything against those movies, which are fun in a “how’s he going to kill this group of heavily armed guys” sort of way. But aside from who’s dishing out the bloody justice they tend to suffer from a feeling of sameness. The Amateur, however, features a hero who fits the classical definition of a wimp. (Is calling someone a wimp permitted these days?) Played by Academy Award-winning actor Rami Malek, the only threatening thing about him is his brain, which he uses to take down the bad guys who “fridged” his wife. As such, Malek turns out to be the perfect representative for today’s computer-savvy professionals. He’s neither physically fit nor handsome, but could end you with a few keystrokes. Aside from its very non-traditional leading man, the movie does fall back on the elements that make movies like these so much fun. There are regular changes of scenery (Paris, Istanbul, Madrid, Romania, the Baltic Sea) and a who’s who supporting cast. Rachel Brosnahan, the former Mrs. Maisel and upcoming romantic interest for a gent named Superman, plays the ill-fated wife. Instead of having her disappear after her first act demise, the movie has her float in and out of the hero’s consciousness like William Wallace’s wife in Braveheart. Caitríona Balfe brings a world-weary sadness to her informant character. Julianne Nicholson has a couple of good scenes as the “over her head” CIA director. On the male side of the cast, Laurence Fishburne is as funny as he is imposing. Holt McCallany plays another devious government agent. Michael Stuhlbarg appears in the end to good effect, delivering a villain monologue with the cold, dispassionate inflections of a lifelong killer for hire. Jon Bernthal only appears in two scenes and steals them so easily that I wished he was around more. Director James Hawes, who’s worked extensively in television prior to this movie, keeps the action moving at a moderate clip. Unlike other films in this genre, where the tension continuously builds towards a heated climax, Hawes' stop-and-go pacing felt counterintuitive at first. However, it effectively puts us into the mindset of a protagonist who's emotions swing from crippling depression to lethal action. The screenplay by Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli is a jumble at times with characters randomly appearing and disappearing from the story, but it always maintains focus on the tragic hero at its center. The Amateur is an entertaining alternative to the “one man wrecking crew” films. It uses Rami Malek’s geeky nature to good effect and the supporting cast are all solid. The movie doesn’t reinvent the spy thriller or the revenge fantasy but offers an interesting take on both. A well-made and entertaining film. Recommended. detroitcineaste
- tacl5February 19, 2026Very good movie. Finally something original from Hollywood.
- NBKnoppJune 11, 2025Excellent story and acting. Keeps you guessing on the edge of your seat until the last frame rolls while keeping you emotionally invested in the characters. Highly recommend.
- Javier ParadaFebruary 17, 2026I watched a movie where Freddie Mercury hires The Punisher to help him avenge Lois Lane, all while Morpheus tries to stop them... and I almost fell asleep. How do you take the most chaotic cast imaginable and make a movie this boring? It’s basically Mr. Robot minus the hacking, mixed with John Wick minus the guns, resulting in a 2-hour nap.
- Poulsen80July 19, 2025Great movie ! They dared and made a great movie. This isn't the normal Action revenge movie, this movie wants you to feel and understand the actions made. If you expect to see an action revenge movie like the movies coming out with Jason Statham, then this isn't for you. Big applause to the cast, crew and instructor , you dared to make something different than the normal Action Revenge movie, and you succeeded!
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The Amateur Trivia
The Amateur was released on April 9, 2025.
The Amateur was directed by James Hawes.
The Amateur has a runtime of 2h 3m.
The Amateur was produced by Hutch Parker, Dan Wilson, Rami Malek, Joel B. Michaels.
After his life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, a brilliant but introverted CIA decoder takes matters into his own hands when his supervisors refuse to take action.
The key characters in The Amateur are Heller (Rami Malek), Director Moore (Holt McCallany), Caleb (Danny Sapani).
The Amateur is rated PG-13.
The Amateur is an Action, Thriller, Drama film.
The Amateur has an audience rating of 8.7 out of 10.
The Amateur had a budget of $60M.
The Amateur has made $96M at the box office.