The Amateur: Trailer, certificate and where to watch
Rami Malek stars as a CIA computer expert who uses his particular skills for a mission of revenge
Year: 2025
Certificate: 12
Movies in which men who don't seem like action heroes somehow become them are a genre by themselves. Liam Neeson made a second career out of such fare and Rami Malek, star of Mr Robot, Oscar-winning in Bohemian Rhapsody and surprisingly boring as the baddie in No Time To Die, gives it his own twist in The Amateur.
He plays CIA cryptographer Charlie Heller, an unworldly man who dreams of more exciting things but is happy enough with his lot, particularly with his marriage to his wife Sarah, who is played by Marvelous Mrs Maisel Rachel Brosnahan - casting that implies Charlie is punching well above his weight.
One day, Sarah goes on a fateful trip to London and Charlie stumbles upon some dangerous data at work. Then, a chain reaction of events sends him on a mission of grief-filled revenge, using his next-level nerd skills to outsmart his more traditionally minded opponents.
The Amateur didn't hit big at the box office but, watching at home, this makes for a solidly exciting way to pass the evening. Malek makes the most of the emotional side of his underdog role, and the set-piece with the collapsing glass swimming pool is extraordinary. That sequence is in the trailer, so don't watch that if you'd prefer to see it in the punchier context of the film. (122 minutes)
