The American 2010 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The American 2010 - Essay Example In his attempts to disengage from death and to connect to the rest of the world, the filmmakers must find ways to emotionally express these changes through the way in which the production is designed. Plot Summary and Critic’s Reviews There is a unique twist in the plot of The American, the story not following the normal hit man thriller formulation that one might expect. Clooney plays a man who is good at his craft, making unique weapons that are used for creative assassinations. This is not done with some type of fantastical or over the top, â€Å"Q† from James Bond sort of way, but with a sense of realism. The brooding nature of the film helps to frame this profession, the seriousness of the ‘business’ of death relevant to the structure of the story. Clooney’s character, Jack, wants to be at the end of his career, the most recent event of an ambush bringing his attention to the fact that he was lucky to have survived the many close calls in his li fe. When he goes to Italy and to the town in which he is to make his last weapon, he begins to reach out, but almost imperceptibly, to the others. The priest and the prostitute provide a contrast of moral natures, each providing a part of the human contact that he has been without for most of his life. Film critic Rebecca Murray sees Jack’s relationships with the priest and the prostitute as cold and unresponsive. While both characters seem to be fascinated by Jack, he gives them very little in return, their investment in his attention far greater than his in theirs. Murray describes the film as being vacant, without much action or dialogue, thus leaving the film viewer as empty as Jack in the way in which they are limited in engaging with the film. She says â€Å"Even the charm and talent of Clooney can’t make Jack accessible to the audience as he’s trying to stay alive†. The American was not a critical success with average film viewers. According to Mur ray, â€Å"The American doesn’t capitalize on its uniqueness, taking leaps in storytelling and using far too many coincidental events to move things forward†. The problem with the film is created through the conflict of having an unsympathetic, emotionally crippled character and trying to evoke sympathy and emotional connectivity from the audience. It can be accomplished, but it is a tough project for a director to do it with success. According to Clabough, Clooney’s character establishes earlier on in the film that he is not a good guy, thus disconnecting the audience from their sympathy with him. Clabough states â€Å"Jack has loyalties to no one but himself, a malevolent character trait exemplified early in the film when Jack must kill the woman with whom he just made love to protect his own identity, though he is ridden with guilt that often materializes in nightmares†. Unfortunately, he never really turns that corner to reconnect or create a sympathe tic reaction from the way in which the story unfolds after his unsympathetic nature is revealed. Clabough sees no point to the character of the priest, his appearances only seeming to provide an opportunity for dialogue. The critic feels that this is one more opportunity for Hollywood to attack Christianity through revealing that the priest has a child out of wedlock, thus should not have put himself up as one to judge Jack about