‘The American’ by Anton Corbijn, with George Clooney- a Masterpiece

I’ve watched The American at least 4 times now, probably 5 or 6. The desire to rewatch it, and the deepening appreciation for the film upon each viewing, are indicative of the film’s greatness.

A tragedy set in Italy, the film is a brilliant essay for several reasons.

Crisp, purposeful filmmaking

For one, it never lags. The story moves without ever dwelling in a scene too long. The filmmaking is excellent, because the scenes are all very purposeful. Each cut, and each scene, has a very particular meaning. You get a strong sense for the character’s emotion, or what he is thinking about, without dialogue or explanation. Although the main character is in every scene, the film does not fall into a steadicam trap where it is just “following” him around. It is very well written, and directed.

Consistent tone, with ebbs and flows

Tonally, the film is a consistent melancholy, but does not bore because it flows into more tense, dramatic stages (the thriller, assassin side of the story), as well as more hopeful, optimistic stages (the love and redemption side of the story). The use of color and music are not overdone, and they work very well to complement the tonal flows. Especially effective are the yellow lights to amplify the spookiness of the twisting stairwells of the old Italian town, Castel del Monte. Alone in his apartment, there is often a blueish hue, to accent the coldness and loneliness.

Single character study

Third, it is an excellent and true character study of a lonely and spiritually arrested man. It feels very real because of how well the film illustrates his affinity and skill as a craftsman-mechanic, working with machines, while he tells the outside world he is an artist. It is a movie in which each person’s human weaknesses and failures are visible. This is reflected by the substantial, and interesting, lines on the faces of the Priest, who has an illegitimate son, and Jack’s mafia boss, Paolo. Jack is a hitman and Clara is a prostitute, but the film portrays them as sensitive humans with depth, who connect over wanting the same thing- real love and a chance at a new life together.

Butteryfly symbolism

A fourth reason for the film’s excellence is the butterfly symbolism. Jack is known by his client, Mathilde, who is buying a custom assassin’s gun from him, as “Mr. Butterfly.” Similarly, Clara calls him “Senhore Farfalla,” or Mr. Butterfly in Italian. Jack has a tattoo of a butterfly on his back, reads books about butterflies, and tells people he is a butterfly photographer. The butterfly symbolizes his desire to resurrect himself out of his sinful life, and to find true love, even though he feels trapped. It symbolizes the opportunity, or at least the hope, for transformation. In the end, when Jack dies in front of Clara in their special place in the forest by the river, an endangered butterfly floats up to the sky.

Superb casting and acting

Fifth, the acting is excellent. Because the film is so tightly written, it gives the actors space, and doesn’t ask them to do too much. Clooney plays the smooth monotone craftsman-assassin, with the emotion and desire to get out and find love bubbling just under the surface. He does so remarkably well. His facial expressions are on point. He even does his little subtle chew motion with his jaw to effect, as a stress-tic of sorts. He also does sunglasses, blazers, and dark clothes extremely well, as we already knew. As mentioned before, Clooney is the whole movie, and it never gets boring. Violante Placido (Clara), Paolo Bonacelli (Fr. Benedetto), and Johan Leysen (Jack’s boss) are nothing short of excellent too.

Poetic photography

Sixth, Italy has so much soul and beauty, that, left in the hands of a photographer like Corbijn, you are left with absolutely lovely visual poetry.

Mythical quality of the three women

What is interesting to think about are the three women that appear in Jack’s life in the movie. Ultimately, the three women look quite alike, and this seems intentional. The first, a beautiful woman who appears in a melancholic opening scene at a remote winter cabin in Sweden, is naked, face down, tasting Jack’s whisky, with her arm around him. After being ambushed by would-be assassins, Jack kills the woman as he dips quickly out of town and goes to Italy.

The second is Mathilde, his client who is buying the highly customized rifle that he builds for her. They end up at the beautiful river picnic spot to test the gun together. As she is laying on her side, a rare butterfly lands on her. She asks if Jack has ever brought a woman here before, and he is silent, withdrawn, and sad. They seem to have a connection as they are both of the same profession and find themselves in this beautiful place, but yet it is somehow forbidden. Again, no friends are allowed in his trade.

Third is Clara. She thinks Jack is married, and that is his secret, but he is not. Although she knows he has a secret, just not what it is, she calls him a good man. She loves him. After rebuffing her at first, Jack finally asks her to come away with him, forever. They embrace and agree to meet at the spot by the river. But Jack takes a bullet while he kills his former boss, who came to knock him off, and he bleeds out as he arrives at the river.

In this case it was because of his profession, but the broader point of the film seems to be that spiritually, Jack was in a living hell, where no love is permitted to grow, hence the tragic ending.

Conclusion

This is not an action movie as such, although it has thriller elements. Rather, the hitman lifestyle makes for a great exploration of sin, sadness, and the desire to transform and find love. The story is sad, but emotionally very powerful, and somehow with deep, mythic truths. It is a brilliant film.