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The American

The American

Crime · Drama · Thriller · 2010

Dispatched to a small Italian town to await further orders, assassin Jack embarks on a double life that may be more relaxing than is good for him.

Movie details

The American

2010 Crime · Drama · Thriller 1h 44m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.0 / 10

Community rating

Dispatched to a small Italian town to await further orders, assassin Jack embarks on a double life that may be more relaxing than is good for him.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The American?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Godfather Part III

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In the midst of trying to legitimize his business dealings in 1979 New York and Italy, aging mafia don, Michael Corleone seeks forgiveness for his sins while taking a young protege under his wing.

A Haunting in Venice

A Haunting in Venice

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Celebrated sleuth Hercule Poirot, now retired and living in self-imposed exile in Venice, reluctantly attends a Halloween séance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. When one of the guests is murdered, the detective is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.

The Quick and the Dead

The Quick and the Dead

Western · 1995

A mysterious woman comes to compete in a quick-draw elimination tournament, in a town taken over by a notorious gunman.

Colombiana

Colombiana

Action · 2011

After witnessing her parents’ murder as a child in Bogota, Cataleya Restrepo grows up to be a stone-cold assassin. She works for her uncle as a hitman by day, but her personal time is spent engaging in vigilante murders that she hopes will lead her to her ultimate target: the mobster responsible for her parents' death.

All the Devils Are Here

All the Devils Are Here

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After a heist, four criminals lay low in a remote safehouse, waiting for orders. As paranoia builds, one thing becomes clear — the real threat may not be outside, but among them.

The Equalizer 3

The Equalizer 3

Action · 2023

Robert McCall finds himself at home in Southern Italy but he discovers his friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends' protector by taking on the mafia.

Dead Man Down

Dead Man Down

Thriller · 2013

In New York City, a crime lord's right-hand man is seduced by a woman seeking retribution.

Marked for Death

Marked for Death

Action · 1990

Just retired from the Drug Enforcement Agency, John Hatcher returns to his hometown and quickly discovers that drugs have infiltrated his old neighborhood. Determined to drive the dealers out, Hatcher crosses paths with a ferocious Jamaican drug lord who vows that Hatcher and his family are now marked for death.

John Wick: Chapter 2

John Wick: Chapter 2

Action · 2017

John Wick is forced out of retirement by a former associate looking to seize control of a shadowy international assassins’ guild. Bound by a blood oath to aid him, Wick travels to Rome and does battle against some of the world’s most dangerous killers.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Anton Corbijn

Written by

Rowan Joffé

George Clooney

George Clooney

Jack / Edward

Violante Placido

Violante Placido

Clara

Thekla Reuten

Thekla Reuten

Mathilde

Paolo Bonacelli

Paolo Bonacelli

Father Benedetto

Johan Leysen

Johan Leysen

Pavel

Irina Björklund

Irina Björklund

Ingrid

L

Lars Hjelm

Hunter #1

Court is in session

Put The American on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.