The American

At its best, the film's silence and unrevealing mood of observation remind you of 'The Passenger' or Paulo Sorrentino's 'Consequences of Love'...

This movie is so serious about its pretensions that none of it makes any sense.

A textbook thriller...The excitement of the movie comes from its technical polish.

While cinema-lovers can cheer a director willing to buck the fashion for sensory overload, The American can't rightly be called a success.

The good news, though, is that eventually The American does get to where it wants to be, and becomes a rather improbably but genuinely moving story.

If you're expecting a star-propelled thriller with the usual bob, weave and one-two punch, this isn't your ticket.

A lush canvas of verdant riverbanks and dim, foreboding streets at night. The anxious stillness gets under your skin.

Outstanding cinematography and score and excellent acting make for a remarkable movie. The American is a must-see.

That the film through these slow, poetic paces remains engrossing, engaging, and ultimately oddly affecting is a testament to Clooney's terrific performance.

George Clooney delivers a strong but subdued performance in this slow-paced character study.

The filmmakers seem to have forgotten that it takes more than a brooding assassin to engage the audience for the full runtime of the film. Moreover, if that character isn't involved in an interesting narrative, they'll have even less reason to care.

It may not be the fast-paced assassin thriller you might expect, but it benefits more from that than anything else.