Rami Malek is no stranger to quiet and intense roles, but The Amateur might be one of his most grounded performances yet, and, weirdly, one of his least talked about. Despite a solid 60% critic score and an 88% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the spy thriller barely scraped $96 million at the box office on a $60 million budget. Was it poor marketing? Bad timing? Or maybe audiences just weren’t ready for a socially awkward CIA cryptographer turning into a vigilante? Whatever the reason, The Amateur is getting a second chance now that it’s streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
Directed by James Hawes (Slow Horses), The Amateur adapts Robert Littell’s 1981 novel and gives Malek a very un-James-Bond-like lead role. He plays Charles Heller, a cryptographer whose world collapses when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack. When the CIA refuses to retaliate, Heller does what every mild-mannered analyst dreams of doing and takes matters into his own hands. But don’t expect car chases and explosions every five minutes. Heller fights back with strategy, hacking, and meticulous planning rather than fists.
The cast is another reason this film shouldn’t have been ignored. Laurence Fishburne plays Henderson, the seasoned operative reluctantly mentoring Heller, and Rachel Brosnahan (who we recently saw as Lois Lane in Superman) shines in her brief but crucial role as Heller’s wife. The supporting names are just as strong: Jon Bernthal, Caitríona Balfe, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Holt McCallany.
One of the most surprising facts about The Amateur is that ten writers worked on the screenplay at some point. Heavyweights like Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum), Patrick Ness (A Monster Calls), and Scott Frank (Logan) all took a swing, but only Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli received final credit. Maybe that explains why the tone shifts halfway through. It begins as a slow-burn espionage thriller and turns into a revenge story once Heller decides the CIA’s bureaucracy isn’t cutting it.
The real reason to watch The Amateur, however, is Malek. His performance works because Heller isn’t as confident as James Bond or Jason Bourne. Instead, he’s awkward and obsessive. Watching him fumble his way into becoming an avenger makes you wonder what you would do if the system failed you like this.
The Amateur is now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Hopefully it finally gets the attention it deserves.
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