‘The Amateur’ review: Malek misses his mark

Rami Malek stars in The Amateur, a routine spy thriller that bungles the potential of a different kind of secret agent man.

When it comes to autistic representation in film, especially as an autistic person, you can expect a few things: Stiffness, fast talking, an almost subhuman-level awareness of specific interests, and an inability to understand humans, sometimes to comically absurd lengths. There’s also a robotic demeanor that can typically make us feel subhuman. As the spectrum grows wider and more people can get diagnosed, strides are being made to have better, more accurate, or simply more humanizing depictions of autism in film. But there are still some setbacks, and The Amateur is the sort of star vehicle for Oscar-winner Rami Malek that seems regressive in how it depicts autistic people like myself. (For the record, the film never says outright that Malek’s character has autism, but you can infer heavily that this is the intent. So I am going off the assumption that this was an intentional character choice, even though it’s not explicit.) 

A vigilante cat-and-mouse spy thriller that borrows from Death Wish just as much as The Bourne Identity, The Amateur centers on Charles Heller (Malek), a mild-mannered CIA cryptographer whose encoded little world shaken when his loving wife, Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan, an actress too good to be thrown into a sort of listless role), is slain in a terrorist attack in London. Vowing revenge, Charles wants to use his CIA resources to track down and kill her assassins personally. With the CIA refusing to cooperate, this coder must use his wits and newfound resilience to blackmail his way into being a field operative, trained by a no-nonsense lieutenant named Robert Henderson (Laurence Fishburne). But as Charles goes on a one-man mission to take down these terrorists, the question remains: Is he willing to kill? 

Man on a mission.

When it comes to Malek’s portrayal in The Amateur, the actor-producer gains a starring vehicle that caters to his odd star power, particularly as a nervy, neurotic presence who can’t be defined by simple measures. Despite his prestige, it hasn’t been easy for the actor to elevate himself to star status and The Amateur, for whatever faults it holds, does make sense as a step forward. But with that said, there’s little denying that Malek’s performance can feel beholden to cliches.

There are moments of tender vulnerability, particularly with Charles learning about his wife’s death, that showcase how the actor’s cagey demeanor elevates the more emotionally raw moments. Yet, there’s still something inherently amiss. Malek’s tics and mannerisms seem put on, and they’re too measured and deliberate to capture the character’s uncertain state of mind. The desire to play a world-trotting spy in an intensive, character-driven way can seem a little inspired, but it ultimately lends itself to a movie that never quite shakes Malek’s melancholy.

And then, as suggested before, there’s the matter of whether this performance feels honest as a depiction of autistic representation. In that respect, it adds an element of intrigue but doesn’t feel quite sincere or honest enough to pop. It’s effortful when it should be naturalistic and filled with a fraught energy to a fault. While the circumstances surrounding Charles are deliberately intense, it doesn’t provide the character to have a lot of room for self-expression beyond his “go-go-go” state of being. We learn so little about Charles during the beginning, other than his devotion to his wife and general shyness, that the change isn’t dramatic or well-earned enough to cut skin. 

New agent, same spy game.

With that all said, The Amateur provides something unique and potentially progressive on a conceptual level. Our character is constantly in a state of limbo, as an amateur to the field of spy work and needing to rely on his unique set of skills and personal strengths to get over his inhibitions. With that, the movie finds a curious way to lean too heavily into the stereotypes of autistic characters who have it all figured out except for social cues. Charles is a character who is as defined by his faults as he is by his strengths, and that’s certainly something that could promise to be beneficial if done right. 

Alas, by following the hallmarks of the vigilante movie, The Amateur never does anything beneficial with this template. It falls into tropes and repetitions quickly, becoming a rather dull affair. The movie is told with general directorial competence, but not in an especially exciting or stylish way. It often lumbers when it should be excelling, and it can feel like you’re waiting for the movie to reach its expected dramatic points instead of engaging with the story. Director James Hawes (Black Mirror, Slow Horses) does his work serviceably, ultimately not making any impression or showing any prowess or efficiency as a storyteller.

The Amateur does have a solid supporting cast that livens the proceedings. Brosnahan and Fishburne are likable performers, and Michael Stuhlbarg makes his turn as a terrorist surprisingly memorable. Holt McCallany could play this sort of hard-balling suit in his sleep, but thankfully the dependable actor gives his role a fair bit of zeal. Likewise, despite having a limited role, Jon Bernthal is punchy and invigorated here in all the ways Malek proves to be morose and moody. 

The bottom line.

The Amateur is ultimately Malek’s movie. While he’s dynamically talented with an undeniable edge as an actor, this starring vehicle proves to be disappointingly drab and deterred by its shortsighted portrayal. The movie has its bits of fun, particularly when it comes to Saw-esque traps that Charles concocts to take down or get answers from his wife’s murderers. Sadly, these notable and inspired sequences prove few and far between. Despite some promise, The Amateur falls for some rookie mistakes in its autistic depictions.

The Amateur hits theaters on Friday, April 11. Watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of 20th Century Studios. Read more articles by Will Ashton here.

Will Ashton