Review of The American

In Dalarna, Sweden, the lonely hit man and craftsman Jack (George Clooney) has a tragic encounter with two assassins hired to kill him and survives an ambush. Jack travels to Rome and calls his contact Pavel (Johan Leysen) that meets him in a cafeteria, gives a Fiat Tempra to him and asks Jack to travel to the countryside for a next assignment. Sooner a woman called Mathilde (Thekla Reuten) meets Jack and delivers the specification of a sophisticated weapon to be constructed by him. While living in the village and building the weapon, Jack befriends the local priest and has sex with the prostitute Clara (Violante Placido). The distrustful Jack gets closer to Clara and sooner they date outside the brothel. When Jack tells Pavel that this work will be his last one and he will retired after delivering the weapon, Jack is betrayed and he does not know who can be trusted.

"The American" is an engaging low-paced thriller entwined with romance. George Clooney has a remarkable performance in the role of a mysterious dangerous man with a dark past that feels attracted by a gorgeous prostitute but he has difficulties to trust her. Violante Placido is extremely beautiful and unknown in Brazil, but her biography in IMDb indicates that this talented actress is also singer and song writer. I am looking forward to see her again in another movie. The conclusion is quite weird and not well resolved since why should Pavel kill his client, and if it is necessary, why before she kills Jack? My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Um Homem Misterioso" ("A Mysterious Man")