“Amateur” wishes it was “John Wick”

One of the cool features of Letterboxd, the social media site for moviephiles, is Lists. Here you can make anything from a top 10 to a list with two movies with weirdly specific connections (these are a lot of fun to read). One list I have made is "You Messed With the Wrong Guy." Think "John Wick" or "Taken." These are the movies where a villain messes with some random person who turns out to be former ex-special forces. These movies tend to be a lot of fun. "The Ametuer" is the newest movie I can add to that list; I wish it was more fun.

When CIA Analyst Heller's (Rami Malak) wife is killed in an attack in London, the CIA seems uninterested in getting justice. They see them as minor players in a larger game. Heller sets out on his own to find the four people responsible for his wife's death.

What sets this apart from the other movies in this genre is that Heller is not some secret badass. He is brilliant but can't fight and has never killed anyone. That is what makes this movie a bit of a drag. His wife is killed, and then it is 45 minutes to an hour before he decides to go after the people responsible on his own.

I wanted this to be more fun. I wanted the kills to be more inventive, most of which are spoiled in the trailer. I did enjoy the movie, and there was some fun to be had, but it took way too many detours to get to the point.

6/10

Rated PG-13 for some strong violence and language

2h 2m