'American Assassin' Review

[This review was originally written in October 2017 and is now being published to coincide with the digital home media release. For an explanation of this, visit my Fall 2017 Important Update post.] 

American Assassin follows the response of Mitch Rapp after his fiancé dies in a terrorist attack. Rapp then takes it upon himself to become a highly skilled combatant so that he may seek justice. In the midst of his revenge plot, Rapp catches the attention of the CIA so he's recruited to train underneath the grizzled Cold War veteran Stan Hurley and help prevent the outbreak of a widespread global catastrophe. 

Now if you thought that plot synopsis sounded like the plot of almost every action movie out there, you'd be forgiven because you're certainly correct, because American Assassin is as average an action movie can come these days. Michael Cuesta, who previously dabbled in the realm of television, directs the film and his lack of experience comes across quite quickly in his attempt to adapt Vince Flynn's novel as it feels like an extended episode of a mediocre television series. I haven't read the novel, so I'm unsure if the problem lies there or in the screenplay penned by Stephen Schiff, Michael Finch, Edward Wick, and Marshall Herskovitz, but American Assassin repetitively succumbs to tired tropes of the action genre. Whether it be nuclear warheads being launched or the typical training montage, American Assassin leaves no stone unturned. 

However, on occasion American Assassin definitely defied convention and was at its best when carving out a unique identity for itself. Unfortunately, the script is still spotty with undistinguished dialogue and predictable twists and turns. The action itself is actually well-shot and choreographed though, which somewhat makes up for the standard story.

Thankfully, the film's lead by Dylan O'Brien so not all is so-so. O'Brien seems as committed as any other action star is these days, and really shines in making Rapp a likable lead. Alongside him, Shiva Negar made a fairly adequate action debut as fellow agent Annika, and I can see her possibly getting more work based on this performance.

However, it's Michael Keaton who walks away MVP. An actor of his caliber simply never turns in a passable performance, and Keaton really shines in one engrossing torture sequence that really evoked the expressive attitude of his iconic "Now you wanna get nuts? Come on! Let's get nuts." line from Batman (1989).

Sanaaa Lathan on the other hand feels especially bland as CIA director Irene Kennedy. There's just not much of substance to her character worth noting, and Lathan doesn't add any particularly interesting layers to her performance. She's the straight-faced government agency head you've seen a thousand times before.

Lastly, Taylor Kitsch does his best to invoke menace out of the villainous Ghost, but the character's murky motivations and limited backstory only cripple his every effort.

There's no avoiding it, no matter how potent it is, American Assassin just couldn't hit its target.

Film Assessment: C+