The American | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

64% Tomatometer 223 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings

When an assignment in Sweden ends badly, master assassin Jack (George Clooney) retreats to the Italian countryside with the intention of remaining anonymous. In an uncharacteristic move, he becomes friends with a local priest and pursues a torrid romance with a beautiful woman (Violante Placido). But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be making a fatal mistake.

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The American

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Critics Consensus

As beautifully shot as it is emotionally restrained, The American is an unusually divisive spy thriller -- and one that rests on an unusually subdued performance from George Clooney.

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The American | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Deborah Ross The Spectator This is a western wrapped up in an Abruzzo tourism brochure, but that's OK. I now know it's my favourite kind of cowboy film. Aug 30, 2018 Full Review The American | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Michael Atkinson Sight & Sound The American is in fact a double-stunner - a retro-ish Euro-espionage thriller that's written, acted and directed as if it were still 1974. Jul 10, 2018 Full Review The American | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Caryn James Newsday The American doesn't set out to be anything other than a twisty, deliberate film that relies on suspense and paranoia more than car chases and gunplay. The problem is that even on its own artsy terms, the film falls apart long before the end. Feb 7, 2018 Full Review The American | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review The entire picture relies on Clooney’s characterization, but the script by Rowan Joffe, based on the novel A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth, offers nothing but atmosphere without feeling. Rated: 1.5/4 Aug 9, 2023 Full Review The American | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Graeme Tuckett Stuff.co.nz If you're a fan of Jim Jarmusch and Nic Roeg, you might enjoy what Corbijn is trying to do here. Otherwise, don't bother. Nov 11, 2022 Full Review The American | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Despite its title, The American, is a pretentious European cut. [Full review in Spanish] Jul 20, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews

Cj P I honestly thought this movie was fantastic. I was not expecting it to be this good. George Clooney is great Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/29/24 Full Review j F If you like John le Care this is ok. But it does not capture much emotion but is a restrained spy novel. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/28/24 Full Review A. M Beautifully made Polish film , script/dialogue in original english, it's an artistic masterpiece. The cinematography, editing, sound, costumes, makeup/hair...a fantastic crew of film professionals made this piece. Great acting, incredible ballet. It was a bit thin on plot because we all kinda know where it's going. But I was hooked, and impressed. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/13/24 Full Review Jennie F I'd youre looking to admire the directors wide shots than be my guest. If you're looking for a decently paced movie, without missing plot points, don't bother w this disappointment. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 11/25/24 Full Review Jim D Why do directors think gratuitous nudity and sex add to the quality or purpose of the movie? The opening scene gives a shot of a woman’s nude derrière. She’s killed moments later, so she’s meaningless to the plot. Later on there’s more nudity/sex, that adds nothing to the narrative. Clooney’s character is a blank slate, and nothing is forthcoming in the first 30 minutes. The movie was so boring that I stopped watching 30 minutes in. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/19/24 Full Review Lanfranco C The key player of the movie is Abruzzo. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/31/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Anton Corbijn Director George Clooney Jack Violante Placido Clara Thekla Reuten Mathilde Paolo Bonacelli Father Benedetto Johan Leysen Pavel
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Synopsis When an assignment in Sweden ends badly, master assassin Jack (George Clooney) retreats to the Italian countryside with the intention of remaining anonymous. In an uncharacteristic move, he becomes friends with a local priest and pursues a torrid romance with a beautiful woman (Violante Placido). But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be making a fatal mistake.

Director
Anton Corbijn

Producer
Anne Carey, Jill Green, Ann Wingate, Grant Heslov, George Clooney

Screenwriter
Rowan Joffe

Distributor
Focus Features

Production Co
This Is That Productions, Smoke House, Greenlit Productions

Rating
R (Sexual Content|Nudity|Violence)

Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama, Action

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 1, 2010, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 14, 2015

Box Office (Gross USA)
$35.6M

Runtime
1h 45m

Sound Mix
Dolby Digital, DTS
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The American | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

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