American Assassin

This review may contain spoilers!

This was comparable to a lazy, fictional version of American Sniper. I would give American Assassin a 4/10.

This film has an interesting antagonist that is brought forth from the strange CIA operative programme this film focuses upon. Seeing Ghost singlehandedly use the skills he has been taught to enact an incredible act of vengeance is rather impressive, to say the least, and makes for a strong point in the plot. The fight choreography seen throughout the film is incredibly impressive, the action moves swiftly and has a brutal, savage edge to it.

Dylan O'Brien, who played Mitch Rapp, lends a decent performance as the lead protagonist; O'Brien's comedic quippy persona blends well with his aggressive, and at times feral, character. Sanaa Lathan, who played Irene Kennedy, is a stern no-nonsense figure who acts well as a leader within the CIA; I enjoy that Lathan makes a point of forming real genuine connections with O'Brien, Keaton and Suchet.

However, the best performance came from Taylor Kitsch, who played Ghost. As I stated earlier one of the best parts of the film was the content around the major antagonist; which, equally, was a brilliant performance too. Kitsch is capable of a witty role that banters back and forth with others in some fun moments of dialogue, mirroring his role nicely to O'Brien's. However what I liked about this role was that Ghost is clearly capable of disguising himself as whoever he needs to be, becoming a threat in the right situation and leading a terrorist group effectively. Kitsch develops a vulnerability to his character that links strongly to his scenes with Keaton, we see a great range from Kitsch here and several moments where you aren't sure who holds the power and control within the father/son relationship.

This film is a sloppy depiction of the 'all-American hero'; a tragic juvenile man who's lost a little and has now trained himself to physical perfection to kick some very generic-looking terrorist butt. If we'd seen this solo run play out at least it would have been easier to stomach than watching a very standard spy/action film pieced together as Mitch is trained up as an operative. You're spoonfed much more exposition than you're really wishing to stomach and the pacing grows very inconsistent. The constant attempts to make Hurley a convincing father figure are sadly wasted and you're left with quite an emotionless film. Furthermore, the final act of the feature takes the action to a ludicrous place as a nuclear bomb explodes with very little repercussions for the characters at hand. The cinematography is rather dull, it tries to keep the action tight during fight sequences but struggles to make the settings or much else look appealing for most the film. The editing for the film likewise lacks very much creative flair, instead for an action film you can't help but feel that things are moving rather slow. The score of the film doesn't do anything at all extraordinary, while the soundtrack seems equally composed to write the film away into a quiet stereotypical category.

Charlotte Vega, who played Katrina, is a role that really should have been in the film a bit more; you don't much care for the significance of the death of this character, the film uses the death of Vega merely to instigate the plot. David Suchet, who played Director Stansfield, isn't very necessary with Lathan around; Suchet borders between a tough as nails character and a comedic sarcastic role, clearly showing a character that wasn't well thought through. Michael Keaton, who played Stan Hurley, gives quite the monotone performance in this film; often it's the talk of the characters around him that fluff Keaton up to be this big 'tough guy' role but he doesn't really seem up to the task. Scott Adkins, who played Victor, is really only in this film to play a bit of dumb muscle; Adkins is certainly not here to make his role noteworthy but is instead here to be killed off in quite a forgettable manner. Joseph Long, who played General Rostami, isn't a well-portrayed minor antagonist; Long struggles to lend a new perspective upon the villain's motives. Mohammad Bakri, who played Ashani, is the sort of role who would have benefitted with more screen time; Bakri's death comes quite suddenly and feels like a wasted opportunity for the character. Shiva Negar, who played Annika, is a romance subplot that just really did not need to be played out; Negar really takes her character to an over the top stage as the final act rolls out. Khalid Laith, who played Sharif, is yet another terrorist/stereotype antagonist; Laith's laidback role never really set the stakes high in his scenes with O'Brien.