The Amateur (1981) 20th Century Fox/Action-Thriller RT: 111 minutes Rated R (language, violence, brief nudity) Director: Charles Jarrott Screenplay: Robert Littell and Diana Maddock Music: Kenneth Wannberg Cinematography: John Coquillon Release date: February 12, 1982 (US) Cast: John Savage, Christopher Plummer, Marthe Keller, Arthur Hill, Ed Lauter, Nicholas Campbell, George Coe, John Marley, Jan Rubes, Lynne Griffin. Box Office: $6.8M (US)
Rating: ***
Remember when Hollywood used to make spy movies with believable heroes who used their intelligence along with their guns to complete their missions? The movie spies of old, including James Bond, weren’t entirely focused on mayhem. Nowadays, secret agents are unstoppable killing machines with superhuman skills- e.g Jason Bourne. They tend to be directed in a dizzying quick-cut style designed to hold the interest of those with short attention spans. I like the Bourne movies- well, the first three anyway- but I also enjoy old school espionage.
The Amateur, a riveting action-thriller directed by Charles Jarrott (Condorman), went largely unnoticed when it hit US theaters in February ’82. The reviews weren’t very kind either. I disagree. It’s a good movie. John Savage (Hair) stars as Charles Heller, a CIA cryptographer whose girlfriend (Griffin, Black Christmas) is killed by terrorists during a hostage situation at the American embassy in Munich. His superiors tell him there’s nothing they can do about it for vague reasons. Understandably angry, he gathers information on CIA misdoings and uses it to blackmail his bosses into training him as a field agent so he can kill the terrorists himself.
They send him to a training camp while they attempt to locate the information he has on them. They manage to find the material just as he is crossing the border into Czechoslovakia with his trainer-control officer Anderson (Lauter, Death Wish 3). Now that Heller no longer presents a threat, they order him killed. He’s targeted by both the CIA and KGB as he attempts to track down his girlfriend’s killers. The only person he can trust is Elizabeth (Keller, Marathon Man), a Czech woman who works with the CIA.
There’s a lot of action and suspense in The Amateur with the inexperienced agent, used to sitting in front of a computer, seeking revenge. It’s true it moves at a slower pace than most of today’s action vehicles, but isn’t it nice not be to bombarded with explosions, car chases and wild shoot-outs? Not that there’s anything wrong with any of these things. Jarrott, working from a screenplay by Robert Littell and Diana Maddock, takes the time to develop an actual plot and build suspense. In fact, he gives us a lot of plot and suspense in cross-cutting between Heller sneaking into Czechoslovakia (through a secret tunnel) and the CIA suits trying to figure out where he hid the incriminating information. He also throws in a few clichés like the switched-hat trick when an assassin tries to take Heller out. It’s silly but whatever.
The cast of The Amateur is top-notch. Savage is believable enough as a distraught computer geek forced into action. Sure, his character does some dumb things like going places where he’s sure to be found and calling attention to himself at the worst times. He’s not exactly a crack agent. Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music) co-stars as Professor Lakos, the head of Czech intelligence and expert on Francis Bacon, also a subject of interest to Heller. He makes a fine adversary because you’re never quite sure what he’s thinking. Does he want to stop Heller or help him? Keller, who doesn’t show up until an hour in, is good as Heller’s contact. Nicholas Campbell (The Dead Zone) delivers an icy performance as the leader of the terrorist gang. He’s the guy who pulled the trigger. What are the chances Heller will save him for last? Lauter, one of my favorite character actors, is always a nice addition to any cast. He’s such a bastard in this movie.
The action scenes are well done. The Amateur really picks up when the killing starts. The best kill scene is when one of the bad guys gets blown up in an indoor swimming pool. There’s also an exciting chase at a lecture hall. Best of all, Heller is one crafty guy. Let’s just say he has a good final trick up his sleeve.
The Amateur is one of those movies that people have either forgotten or never heard of. I remember it because I’m the Movie Guy. I also remember it because it’s good. It’s smart without being too complex. It’s exciting without overwhelming the viewer’s senses. It’s an entertaining Canadian-made action-thriller that occasionally lapses into silliness, but never sinks into stupidity. It really deserves more recognition than it gets.
