Directed by James Hawes and starring Rami Malek in the lead role, “The Amateur” (2025) is an American action thriller that fully lives up to its title. It isn’t a film that’s going to knock your socks off and keep you hooked for eternity. But it is a good option if you’re looking for a gripping thriller after a long day that doesn’t demand much of you.

The Amateur (2020) Plot Overview: A Grieving Cryptographer’s Hunt for Truth

Charlie Heller (Rami Malek) is a cryptographer who works for the CIA. At his office, he receives classified documents from an anonymous source, codename “Inquiline”. He is later called into CIA Director Samantha O’Brien’s (Julianne Nicholson) office, where he is told that his wife, Sarah Heller (Rachel Brosnahan), has been killed in a terrorist attack in London.

​Driven by grief, Charlie finds out his wife’s assailants and presents his findings to his boss, Alex Moore (Holt McCallany), and his deputy, Caleb Horowitz (Danny Sapani). He is told that they are looking to take down the criminals’ entire network. Thanks to the documents he received earlier, he discovers Moore authorizing politically motivated drone strikes and making them look like suicide bombings.

Disappointed by their response, he later threatens to expose their wrongdoings to the media. In exchange for keeping the information private, he demands the resources and mission specific to avenge Sarah, which they agree to. The rest of the movie explores whether he succeeds in his mission and if Moore continues to play along.

Martin Ruhe’s Cinematography: Atmospheric Shadows and Muted Tones

When I look back at the film, the first thing that comes to mind is the gorgeous visuals thanks to cinematographer Martin Ruhe. The film has been shot in multiple locations, including England, Turkey, and France, all of which look stunning. My favorite visuals in the movie were Charlie’s and Davies’ home.

The contrast between the two homes is massive, but it goes on to show that everyone’s definition of perfect is different. Charlie has a well-furnished modern home, and while Davies’ home is right up there on the technological front, she has several turkeys in her home to help her stay grounded. And there’s nothing wrong with either approach. That, to me, is among the film’s biggest takeaways, even if it isn’t highlighted much.

​They have used muted tones, which elevated the thriller atmosphere in my opinion. But I can understand that not everyone is a fan of that aesthetic, as the heavy use of shadows and high-contrast lighting may appear underexposed or uneven to some.

​Compared to the typical short videos and reels, where most things are saturated and beg your attention, this one quietly asks you to immerse yourself in the scene. I believe that as more AI videos pop up in your feed, movies like these will stand out even more. In other words, I could say this was a fine dining experience vs the fast food nature of reels.

Creative Execution: Balancing Bertelmann’s Score with Hawes’ Grounded Direction

Another standout is the film’s background music by Volker Bertelmann. The music especially succeeds in making the emotional scenes more heartfelt. However, it was the techno music in the club sequence that caught my attention and reminded me of the theme of “Spider-Man: The New Animated Series” (2003).

While the film’s direction by James Hawes and screenplay by Ken Nolan & Gary Spinelli are solid for the most part, there is one thing that could have been avoided. That was the character of field agent, Jackson O’Brien (Jon Bernthal), code name “The Bear”.

​While there was nothing wrong with Jon’s performance, I felt his character barely added anything to the story, and the character shouldn’t have been there at all. Other than that, the film is intriguing and will keep you interested for the majority of the runtime. On a positive note, I loved that the film avoided the predictable cliché.

In movies of this kind, the protagonist usually transforms into Jean-Claude Van Damme during the final scenes and beats everyone easily. On the other hand, viewers often find themselves thinking, “Hang on, wasn’t supposed to be a newbie at this?”

​Not this one, though. The film set out to tell the story of an amateur and stick to their promise, ensuring the protagonist beats his opponents with his brain, not brawn. For that, both direction and screenplay deserve their fair share of credit.

​For instance, in one scene, Charlie finds one of the four assailants, Mishka Blazhic (Marc Rissmann), swimming in a hotel’s rooftop pool. When Blazhic refuses to cooperate, he kills him by sending him to the floor by rigging the scuba equipment to decompress the air between the pool’s sheets of glass.  

The “Great Silence”: How Realistic Dialogue Captures the Reality of Loss

The film has tried to be realistic in other departments, as well. For instance, when Charlie finally meets his wife’s killer and asks why he killed her? He tells him that he’s sorry that she died, but her death was “necessary”. He had to demonstrate what would happen if the police didn’t allow his mercenary group to exit.

That, to me, was an incredibly dark but honest portrayal of our world. A person could mean everything to someone, but for criminals, the same person could be a minor inconvenience or just part of a strategy. We spent all our lives thinking there is a good reason for every incident. Sometimes, it could simply come down to being in the wrong place and at the wrong time.

​Dialogue is another area where they have nailed this aspect. For instance, in one scene, Davies (Caitriona Balfe) tells Charlie that when her husband was murdered, she wasn’t “prepared for how quiet the world would become”.

​“All the sounds a person makes, the door, the footfall. How you expect a certain sound at a certain time of the day”, and suddenly, there is just “great silence”. In my opinion, the dialogue is grounded, genuine, and accurate. It’s one of the key areas where the film does especially well, but doesn’t get enough credit for.

Vulnerability and Disbelief: Breaking Down Rami Malek’s Lead Performance

Rami Malek has done a good job, as you would expect from an actor of his calibre. I especially loved the scene where he hears of his wife’s passing. His initial reaction is one of disbelief, and his reaction stays with you. However, the film’s crisp runtime doesn’t allow him much room to suck you into his life.

So, he did well with what he was given. Someone who makes a big impact despite the shorter runtime is Rachel Brosnahan. She makes the biggest impact in scenes where she randomly enters and leaves.

​You understand the void her character left in Charlie’s life, and she seems convincing as the woman a guy goes to war for. Laurence Fishburne, Caitriona Balfe, Holt McCallany, and Michael Stuhlbarg do justice to their respective roles.

Final Verdict: Is The Amateur (2025) Worth Watching?

When you think of Rami Malek in a spy thriller, it’s easy to expect a hybrid of “Mission Impossible” and “Mr. Robot” (2015-19), but this one ain’t it. And, the best part is that it isn’t trying to be one. It’s content with being a precise, well-made thriller, perfect as a rainy day watch that respects your intelligence.  

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