The Amateur is a American espionage action thriller film directed by James Hawes and written by Gary Spinelli. The film is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name, which in turn was based on the novel of the same name by Robert Littell, published that same year. It is produced by 20th Century Studios and Hutch Parker Entertainment, and was released on April 11, 2025.
Synopsis[]
After Charles Heller, a CIA cryptographer, loses his wife in a London terrorist attack, he realizes his bosses will not act due to conflicting internal priorities. He begins to blackmail the agency into training him and letting him go after them himself.[1]
Cast[]
- Rami Malek as Charles Heller[2]
- Laurence Fishburne as Robert "Hondo" Henderson[3]
- Rachel Brosnahan as Sarah Heller[3]
- Caitríona Balfe as Inquiline Davies[3]
- Michael Stuhlbarg as Horst Schiller
- Holt McCallany as CIA Deputy Director Moore[4]
- Julianne Nicholson as CIA Director Samantha O'Brien[4]
- Danny Sapani as Caleb Horowitz
- Jon Bernthal as Jackson "The Bear" O'Brien
- Adrian Martinez as Carlos[3]
- Marc Rissmann as Mishka Blazhic
- Joseph Millson as Ellish
- Barbara Probst as Gretchen Frank
- Alice Hewkin as Ali Park
- Henry Garrett as Chief of Staff
- Evan Milton as Slater
- Nick Mills as Finn
- Tiffany Gray as Esther
- Marthe Keller as Florist
Production[]
On February 16, 2023, Deadline reported that 20th Century Studios was developing an espionage thriller film starring Rami Malek as Charles Heller, alongside Rachel Brosnahan, Adrian Martinez, Caitríona Balfe, Laurence Fishburne, Holt McCallany and Julianne Nicholson.[2][3][4]
It is scheduled to be released on November 8, 2024.[5]
Filming officially began on June 5, 2023 in London.[6]
On April 5, 2024, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the film had been pushed back from its original date to April 11, 2025.[7]
Reception[]
The Amateur received generally positive reviews with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 61% based on 161 critics, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The consensus praised Rami Malek and the execution of justice in the film, but critiqued the lack of emotional stakes in the plot. Metacritic assigned The Amateur a 52/100, based on 37 critic reviews, with a consensus of "mixed or average". Audiences were polled and gave The Amateur a generally positive review, with 77% of the audience enjoying it. On IMDb, the film had an average rating of 6.7/10 based on fourteen thousand user reviews. It was the fifth most-popular film on the site during the period of its release, pulling behind Warefare, Snow White, A Mincraft Movie, and Sinners. Ultimately, the film brought in $64.6 million on a $60 million budget.
Videos[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The film was planned as far back as 2006 and was set to star Hugh Jackman in the lead.
- Jon Bernthal plays a character nicknamed "The Bear". He also appears in the FX on Hulu series The Bear.
- Marthe Keller, who played Elisabeth Vaculik in the original 1981 film, has a cameo as a florist in this one.
Comparisons to the 1981 film[]
Characters[]
- Charles Heller remains relatively the same in both versions. However, in the 1981 film, his "training" had him running through obstacle courses and perform a variety of tasks that show mild improvement. In the remake, his training is sped up (as per his wishes) and while he is terrible with a gun, is shown to be proficient with explosives, showing that his mind is superior than his physicality.
- Sarah Heller (neé Kaplan) was his fiancé in the 1981 film, while the two are already married in the remake. The remake also gives more insight into her character, such as revealing that she is a photographer and that much of Charles's interests come from her.
- In the 1981 film, Charles is trained by Col. Anderson who has zero qualms about trying to kill Charles when his information doesn't hold. He also seems to lose his sanity over the course of the film. The remake features Robert "Hendo" Henderson who, while also given the same task, does show empathy for his subject. Anderson is killed in the original, while Hendo survives and even congratulates Charles for his success.
- In the 1981 film, Charles works under Rutledge and Brewer, two rather flat characters and typical CIA leads whose corruption are rather vague. In the remake, Alex Moore is a better fleshed out antagonist who is revealed to have performed unethical strikes to further his own status within the CIA. Additionally, the original featured a assistant named Porter, while in the remake it is Caleb Horowitz who is implied to have been indirectly involved with Moore's affairs.
- In the 1981 film, the lead terrorist is Horst Schräger who is later revealed to be a CIA agent himself, who has been working undercover, but loses his sanity when Charles comes after him, believing he has been set up. He is ultimately killed. The remake replaces him with Horst Schiller, who is a true terrorist who shows admiration towards Charles's vendetta. He is arrested in the end.
- In the 1981 film, Elisabeth Vaculik is a Czechoslovakian contact who aids Charles in his work and even appears to fall in love with him. She survives at the end and flees across the border with him. In the remake, Davies (codenamed Inquiline) is a Russian widow who operates in Istanbul and has her own network and equipment which she inherited from her late husband. She is killed by the CIA.
- In the 1981 film, Charles went after two other terrorists named Gretchen Frank and Luis Botero. In the remake, Frank returns, while Luis is replaced with Mishka Blazhic and Ellish. Ellish shares Luis's death via a swimming pool.
- The 1981 film features Professor Antonin Lakos, a social security agent, Uncle Ludwig, Elizabeth's uncle who aids Charles, and an unnamed guide who is accidentally killed by Anderson. The remake features Jackson "The Bear" O'Brien, a field agent friend of Charles, Samantha O'Brien, Moore's superior who becomes suspicious of his actions, and Carlos, a close friend of Charles.
Plot[]
- An element in the film is Charles's attempt to rebuild a Cessna, a gift he got from Sarah. This is a newly added detail not present in the 1981 film.
- The 1981 film doesn't specify what Charles is blackmailing the CIA with. The remake makes it clear that it was unprovoked drone strikes against civilian areas.
References[]
- ↑ Rami Malek Starring In CIA Thriller The Amateur
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rami Malek To Star In Thriller ‘Amateur’ With ‘Slow Horses’ Director James Hawes Helming For 20th Century
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe & Laurence Fishburne Join Rami Malek In Thriller ‘Amateur’ For 20th Century
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Holt McCallany & Julianne Nicholson Join Rami Malek In 20th Thriller ‘Amateur’
- ↑ ‘Avatar 3’ Pushed a Year to 2025, Two ‘Star Wars’ Movies Head for 2026 and ‘Avengers’ Films Delayed
- ↑ "Rami Malek's thriller Amateur filming in London"
- ↑ Disney Sets ‘Toy Story 5,’ ‘Mandalorian & Grogu’ for 2026, Delays Live-Action ‘Moana’ by a Year
