WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Amateur.
Rami Malek’s latest film, The Amateur, features a refreshing approach to the spy thriller genre that more action movies of its kind should emulate. In The Amateur, which is a remake of a 1982 film of the same name, Malek’s protagonist, Charlie Heller, is an experienced CIA data analyst who must take matters into his own hands to uncover the truth about who killed his wife, Sarah, played by Rachel Brosnahan. Unlike most spy thrillers, Charlie is not well-equipped in combat and can barely shoot a gun, which at first sounds hilarious compared to the likes of the Bourne series or even the upcoming sequel to The Accountant.
The key difference between The Amateur and other espionage thrillers is that Charlie’s main weapon is his mind, which doesn’t require him to pull many triggers to take down his foes. Malek is perfectly cast for a hero like Charlie, considering how he rose to prominence as the mastermind hacker in the celebrated series Mr. Robot. Just because Charlie doesn’t fire many guns in The Amateur doesn’t mean it’s short on action – there are still plenty of “bad guys” trying to take Charlie out. Instead, Charlie’s character is actually more engaging and unpredictable because of the clever ways in which he enacts revenge.
The Amateur Makes Charlie Useless With A Gun (But ᴅᴇᴀᴅly With Tech)
Charlie’s Mind Proves To Be Quite Lethal In Its Own Right
Part of the joy of watching Charlie work – and evade his shady CIA superiors – in The Amateur is knowing he’s always one, if not several, steps ahead. Most of his intelligence and strategy are self-sourced, except when he calls upon a trusted resource with the codename Inquiline for leads and guidance. Not only is Charlie quick with tech and analysis but he’s also surprisingly good at scanning people and bluffing to achieve what he wants. He threatens to leak evidence of CIA Deputy Director Moore’s off-the-books operations to gain a crash course in field training, which is how he meets Laurence Fishburne’s Henderson.
Charlie is proof that not every spy thriller hero has to carry James Bond characteristics of shooting, combat, and other highly physical qualities. While it certainly adds to the fun of watching these types of movies, The Amateur demonstrates that a hero with brains can be just as compelling as a hero with brawn.
Charlie is an underdog at heart who is laughed at by his CIA superiors when he says he wants to find and kill the people who murdered his wife.
Charlie is an underdog at heart who is laughed at by his CIA superiors when he says he wants to find and kill the people who murdered his wife. Charlie proves them wrong through his apтιтude and in doing so, challenges traditional notions of what it means to be a spy thriller protagonist.
Charlie Using Tech Makes Him Unique In The Spy Thriller Genre
Charlie Shows That There Can Be Creativity In Violence & Revenge Stories
Image via 20th Century Studios
It’s important to remember why Charlie is not equipped with the proper training to go out in the field in The Amateur – I mean, it’s literally in the тιтle. While Charlie is undoubtedly a brainiac, he is meant to be relatable on the human level by being an otherwise ordinary person who seemingly has no chance of making the people who killed his wife pay. He’s offered condolences and paid leave, but no sH๏τ at revenge unless he takes it for himself. If Charlie were secretly a fierce fighter and sharpshooter, it would pretty much defeat the purpose of the movie.
The vast majority of spy thrillers will feature shootouts, fist fights, and the like as immediate threats and challenges that the protagonist must overcome. If The Amateur had turned Charlie into a stone-cold killer to achieve a more classic revenge arc, it would have undermined itself and the strengths of Charlie’s character. In fact, the entire point of The Amateur’s ending was that Charlie is, in fact, not a killer, so much so that he can’t even pull the trigger on the man who did just that to his wife. Nevertheless, Charlie gets his revenge and a happy ending by sparing his wife’s killer and taking down Moore simultaneously.
Why More Movies Should Follow The Amateur’s Approach To Action Movies
The Amateur Makes Room For Underdogs To Be Action Heroes Too
Violence, while entertaining, is hardly ever rooted in thought or planning. A fist is thrown, and the protagonist fights back. A sH๏τ is fired, and the action hero draws his weapon. This is all too familiar and rooted in survival instinct and, in some cases, rash impulsivity. While violence can possess intention and technique, the heat of a fight allows little room for invention. Charlie, however, cleverly sets a series of traps for his targets, leaning more into what an antagonist or serial killer character might do. Charlie’s creativity and strategy still made for some gripping scenes in The Amateur, especially the collapsing pool scene, which is far more memorable than yet another loaded gun.
