Summary
Upcoming thrillerThe Amateurpromises a lot of grit and guns for action fans. After all, CIA operatives deal with sophisticated crimes constantly, and every investigation has unique risks. However, revenge and anger over loss can uncontrollably trump even the most trained agents' logic and training.
That’s at least what happens to introverted CIA decoderCharlie Heller (Rami Malek)after the death of his wife in London, who gets murdered by terrorists in20th Century Studios’The Amateur. Instead of seeking justice, even with Heller’s CIA employment, various other internal priorities render his supervisors uninterested in the case. Despite years of training and under-oath promises, he takes matters into his own hands, blackmailing agents into training him for a one-person mission against his wife’s killers. Willing to cross otherwise inexcusable lines, Heller will determine whether revenge and justice are worth such massive costs as putting one’s career and life on the line.
Based on the 1981 novel of the same name by Robert Litella,The Amateuris a 20th Century Studios action-thriller starring Rami Malek as the decoder Heller alongsideLaurence Fishburne as tough-as-nails advisor Henderson. Set to release theatrically on April 11th, 2025, this James Hawes-directed adaptation also features Rachel Brosnahan, Jon Bernthal, Caitríona Balfe, Michael Stuhlberg, and Holt McCallany, among others. The teaser promises anything but amateurish blood-pumping as Heller faces core-shattering decisions such as killing others. Fans of the novel will find many components of Litella’s work have carried over even to just the trailer, like his fast-paced dialogue and legal-emotional exploration between the gun fights.
The Amateur Promises An Action-Packed Thriller For Genre Fans
The Amateurcertainly took its time to get produced. Initially announced in 2006, with Hugh Jackman to star as the prominent antisocial computer hacker, there were 17 years of silence between its first announcement and the current version’s earliest update in 2023—making hopes of its realization all but insurmountable for a long time. Then,the SAF-AFTRA strikes halted its production, further delaying development. While Jackman’s presence may have been intriguing, Fishburne and Malek’s chemistry is appealing, particularly at the height of their explosive conversations—a dynamic irresistible enough to hopefully forgive the many production delays.
Each actor has years of experience in the action film field. From Fishburne’s prominent roles in the originalThe MatrixandJohn Wickfranchisesto Rami Malek’s experience as a weathered cop inThe Little Things, each actor brings an irresistible integrity to their new roles. Pairing them together inThe Amateuris undoubtedly a far from amateurish decision, regardless of how professional the rest of the film turns out. Hopeful fans and curious moviegoers may have to wait a little longer to tell whetherThe Amateuris worth the nearly two-decade wait or if it lives up to its name in all the wrong ways. For now,The Amateur’s newest teaser provides more than enough promise of propulsive rogue CIA work for fans to obsess over.
