“The Amateur” Starring Rami Malek Opens in Theaters on April 11!

What happens when a CIA analyst discovers that his wife dies overseas during a terrorist attack? Grief-stricken and armed with all the technology that the CIA has to offer, Charlie Heller (played by Rami Malek) goes on a mission to avenge his wife’s murder in The Amateur.

As a cryptographer, Charlie is tech-savvy, but does he have the skills to be a killer? Enter Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) as Henderson, who is ordered by a director at the CIA to train Charlie.

Charlie Heller (Malek) is a brilliant, but deeply introverted decoder for the CIA working out of a basement office at headquarters in Langley whose life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack. When his supervisors refuse to take action, he takes matters into his own hands, embarking on a dangerous trek across the globe to track down those responsible, his intelligence serving as the ultimate weapon for eluding his pursuers and achieving his revenge.

Despite not being able to shoot long-distance (he can barely shoot at close range), Charlie jets off to European cities like Paris, London, and Istanbul to track the killers.

There’s intense scenes and the pacing is good with a lot of twists and turns in the storyline. An intriguing subplot involving a character played by Caitríona Balfe (Outlander) is a standout. My one critique is that I wish Jon Bernthal (The Bear) who plays a CIA field agent had more screen time!

Rounding out the supporting cast in this high-stakes thriller is Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Michael Stuhlbarg (Boardwalk Empire), Holt McCallany (Mindhunter), and Julianne Nicholson (Paradise).

The Amateur is lots of fun, packed with action (the swimming pool scene!) and light humor. I saw the movie in IMAX and I highly recommend catching all of the explosive scenes on the big screen when it opens in theaters on Friday, April 11th.

“The Amateur” is rated PG-13.
Visit the official website here for more information.

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. This blog post is for informational purposes. I attended an advanced screening of the movie which helped facilitate this write-up. Images shown in this post are used with permission. As always, my opinions are 100% my own.