Rami Malek is a lot more clever than what the screenplay provides

I don’t know what this movement is called exactly, but it involves setting your arm like a slingshot, you let your grip go, and you pop your middle finger. If you can please tell me what kind of flipping off movement that is, please comment below. What I’m getting at is this: that’s what I was doing when the hero was able to get a step ahead against his corrupt C.I.A. agency in “The Amateur.” We often see movies when characters make stupid mistakes, and I often see people making stupid mistakes of making those bad movies into hits.

Actually, the director of “The Amateur” is James Hawes, who made last year’s exceptional drama “One Life,” and the film itself is both a remake of the 1981 Canadian film, which was taken from Robert Littell’s novel of that very same year. And the agent who practically flips off his corrupt agency is Rami Malek as C.I.A. cryptographer Charles Heller, whose beloved wife Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan) is murdered while on a business trip in London. What isn’t an international thriller without an attack in London? I think I just reviewed something like that two months ago in “Cleaner” with Daisy Ridley.

Now, for the right reasons I’ve mentioned above, this movie could be worthy of being a splice between “Taken” and “Death Wish,” and directed by Steven Soderbergh, but it all seems too easy for us to be challenged. We get chases and bullets, but we also get the same message that Charles can’t shoot villains in the face, and yet be able to set death traps for his wife’s killers. Even the C.I.A. veteran Robert Henderson (Laurence Fishburne) tells Charles he’s not a killer. And even if he was able to shoot someone, I hope Robert’s gun was killed with blanks when he tested the rogue agent. I can’t tell if it’s supposed to be a test or a death wish for the old man.

The supporting cast also includes Jon Bernthal as a field agent nicknamed “The Bear” (sounds familiar), Holt McCallany as the corrupt C.I.A. Deputy Director, Caitriona Balfe (who was great in “Belfast”) as Charles’ Turkish alley who should have lasted longer in the film, Michael Stuhlbarg as one of his wife’s killers, and Julianne Nicholson as the C.I.A. boss.

As I was watching this movie in an IMAX theater, I was thinking about how the movie-going experience should be. There should be less previews, ads and Dolby promos, as they take too long and I’m always doing my math on what time the film I’m seeing should be done. Until someone does something about it, I would suggest you take my methods, which also includes finding out how long the film is. I should write an article about that subject matter, but I’m wondering if you people will read it and acknowledge what I have to say. This is a website with articles, not a diary with secrets.

Obviously, my screening had no previews, which is relaxing. Now, “The Amateur” should be an action film worthy of the cinema experience, but within the past few weeks, I was entertained by smaller films like “Death of a Unicorn” and “Freaky Tales.” Malek, who also produces this film, does a lively and persistent job with his character and what makes him feel like a cousin of Edward Snowden. Different agencies, but same goals. But I also know a few years ago, he was given fresher screenplays for films like “The Little Things,” “Oppenheimer,” and “No Time to Die.” He needs to be part of something that’s just as fun as it is complex. There were times here when I had some fun and enjoyed the main protagonist’s ingenuity, and times when I wanted things to be a bit more challenging.