Here we go again, another group of self proclaimed "intellectuals" see a movie they don't understand and call it Brilliant! Give me a break; this is without a doubt one of the most "BORING" movies of all time. Just as a reality check, I'll explain the movie. Clooney failed miserably at trying to make a artsy European thriller. While all the acting was good, most of the movie drags on horribly, and is full of holes. The only good part was the first 5-minutes and if Clooney was shot in that sequence, ending the movie, then I would have left the theater more satisfied. As far as the plot, well lets start with Clooney making a weapon with "the capacity of a sub-machine gun but the range of a rifle" - it's called an M14 and has been around since the 1960s. In fact when Clooney finished building the gun I turned to my wife (who fell asleep a few times during the movie) and said "congratulations you just built and M14 with a retractable stock." Later in the movie he admits to the shooter that the gun is a modified M14. So why would a covert operation need a gunsmith to build a specialized gun in a remote part of Italy when the gun can be purchased off the rack and modified with a retractable stock in someone's basement? Or better yet, instead of modifying a classic M14 (with the wooden forearm) just purchase a modern day KART M14 EBR Airsoft Sniper Rifle, which has the retractable stock as standard equipment. You would think these "covert professionals" would know this, and the studio would have done their research to make the plot as realistic as possible. Then having to fit the M14 in a large Samsonite briefcase so the female shooter can carry it without raising suspicion. When was the last time you saw a female executive carry a large, black,Samsonite briefcase? I don't know about anyone else, but having some background in surveillance this would have made the shooter stick out like a sore thumb. If I spec'd this operation (assuming it wasn't a long distance shoot, which is wasn't when she tried to shoot Clooney) I would have gone with a Heckler & Koch MP5 with the optional scope, which could have easily fit into a woman's portfolio case. Let's not forget the CGI butterflies,which made me think I was watching Avatar for a brief moment. Of course I'm just picking at technicalities, which have nothing to do with why this movie failed so miserably at providing entertainment value. Lately the movie studios have been cracking down on people that download movies. Maybe people wouldn't be downloading these movies if they got their money's worth when they pay $28 to see garbage like the American.
Review of The American
