The Hopkinator
Sr Member
I would rather watch Batman and Robin over and over with my feet in boiling water than suffer through The American again.. If I ever see you, you WILL refund my 18.50 under penalty of tooth loss...
The American,... George,,WHY ??
- Thread starter The Hopkinator
- Start date
That bad huh?
Details in a spoiler tag??
Details in a spoiler tag??
The Hopkinator
Sr Member
Brother,, it was the worst movie I ever saw with a major star. I think it was a practical joke.
Yeah, I was looking forward to it too. :unsure
The Hopkinator
Sr Member
SPOILER IN THIS POST ALERT!!!! DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE HARD WAY!!!!
Basically, you can duplicate this movie by photoshopping Clooney in a little Italian villa , then on an Italian street . There is almost ZERO dialogue , and there is ZERO action. Basically , I got cinematically raped. Does anyone have any salve? I need some topical cream. And perhaps a stitch..
Basically, you can duplicate this movie by photoshopping Clooney in a little Italian villa , then on an Italian street . There is almost ZERO dialogue , and there is ZERO action. Basically , I got cinematically raped. Does anyone have any salve? I need some topical cream. And perhaps a stitch..
SSgt Burton
Sr Member
The Hopkinator
Sr Member
THATS exactly what the problem is. The man CAN act,, hes not only eye candy for chicks and , umm, some guys too,, but yes, hes an excellent character actor. Thats what makes this an all out travesty. Its like, they had JUST enough of a bank roll to bag Clooney, then hired some high school kid for the script with the 3 bucks left over.
I loved him in Oh brother Where art thou. He was unbelievable.
But this,, well, its unbelievable too...
Watched it yesterday... and LOVED it! While I absolutely loved movies like the Bourne Identity that concept has been done to death and this movie is so refreshingly different! If you are looking for an action movie... this is not it. Looking for something fast paces? Not going to find it here. Looking for lots of explosions? Nada. For me this film just felt... foreign and the pacing was so different than what I am used to I was mesmerized by it. I thought the cinematography was absolutely stunning. The story... ehhhh... not the best, but not the worst. The supressed mini-14 (referred to as an M-14 in the movie)... HORRID. Otherwise, I really liked it. Mirax, on the other hand had almost gone catatonic by the end of the film. She was bored to death with it.
clonesix
Master Member
I loved this movie as an art piece, but would have rather DVR'd it, than pay $10 to see it. This is definately a character study, and it is told though visual images, rather than dialog. George says very little in this movie and shows no facial expression of any kind. He is sullen and melancholy throughout the entire movie.
I can tell you why I liked it: It was the anti-Bourne movie, with no fast paced camera shaking, but rather very well crafted visual images to create the mood. First off, this is shot in Italy, where I think George lives. It was probably nice to just drive down the road to go to work. As such, it has the Sergio Leone feel to it, of the Spaghetti Western, and that even gets a nod to the viewer, as we see one on the TV in the bar. There was one overhead shot that looks down on George as ge drives a long an crooked road. It was such a powerful metaphor, like all the shots. Every shot was beautifully framed and told the emotion of the scene.
This movie has A lot of religious symbolism: 'Live by the sword; Die by the sword', atone for your sins, etc. The movie takes place in the last days of an assasin's life. I am sure I heard somewhere in another assasin movie that assasins that stay until they are assasinated. Well, the mojority of the movie is George building a weapon that is ultimate purpose is his own death. Let not the symbolism of that be lost.
Sorry they used an Mini 14, but not everyone who sees this is a gun expert, or confers on a board of gun experts. It was a symbol, and not a "Historical Document" guys
Definitely not for everyone, but I thought it was well done piece of art. I think that those who don't like it, are not used to seeing George, an actor with considerable use of dialog (Oceans 11, 12, 13, and Brother, Where art thou), speechless for 2 hours.
I can tell you why I liked it: It was the anti-Bourne movie, with no fast paced camera shaking, but rather very well crafted visual images to create the mood. First off, this is shot in Italy, where I think George lives. It was probably nice to just drive down the road to go to work. As such, it has the Sergio Leone feel to it, of the Spaghetti Western, and that even gets a nod to the viewer, as we see one on the TV in the bar. There was one overhead shot that looks down on George as ge drives a long an crooked road. It was such a powerful metaphor, like all the shots. Every shot was beautifully framed and told the emotion of the scene.
This movie has A lot of religious symbolism: 'Live by the sword; Die by the sword', atone for your sins, etc. The movie takes place in the last days of an assasin's life. I am sure I heard somewhere in another assasin movie that assasins that stay until they are assasinated. Well, the mojority of the movie is George building a weapon that is ultimate purpose is his own death. Let not the symbolism of that be lost.
Sorry they used an Mini 14, but not everyone who sees this is a gun expert, or confers on a board of gun experts. It was a symbol, and not a "Historical Document" guys
Definitely not for everyone, but I thought it was well done piece of art. I think that those who don't like it, are not used to seeing George, an actor with considerable use of dialog (Oceans 11, 12, 13, and Brother, Where art thou), speechless for 2 hours.
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Totally agreed. About half way through the movie I realized virtually every shot could have been the poster for the movie or a publicity still. The lighting and composition were just amazing.
You are absolutely right. However, for me, it was distracting and pulled me out of the moment a bit considering the dialog about what kind of specialty weapon was needed and it was made clear what a master craftsman Clooney's character was, and then the ultimate answer for this expert was the same answer Hannibal Smith used to miss every target for season after season.
Kittlemeier
Sr Member
I have it pictured kind of like Day of the Jackal(with Edward Fox, NOT The Jackal with Bruce Willis). Anything like that?
Solo4114
Master Member
I haven't seen it, but now I'm intrigued, actually. There've been films that I've watched initially expecting somethign far more...straightforward in narrative terms, only to later come to appreciate for the different approach they take to transmitting the narrative. King of New York is a good example. I was expecting another "Scarface" type film (which is pretty straightforward in terms of HOW it tells its story), but it tells its story in a far more visual way, rather than via dialogue and verbalized exposition.
I kind of got the sense that No Country for Old Men was supposed to be that as well, but having never read the book, it just didn't do a ton for me and I couldn't help thinking "I'm betting this is where the narrator is making the story a LOT more interesting than watching a dude stare at a lightbulb for 3 seconds."
I kind of got the sense that No Country for Old Men was supposed to be that as well, but having never read the book, it just didn't do a ton for me and I couldn't help thinking "I'm betting this is where the narrator is making the story a LOT more interesting than watching a dude stare at a lightbulb for 3 seconds."
dropshipbob
Master Member
I don't understand the problem with the mini 14?
The Hopkinator
Sr Member
Oh I feel everyone on the artsy aspect,, yeah the scenery was beautiful,, but me personally,, when I want pretty scenery Ill watch Discovery channel or go to the mountains,, maybe a walk in the woods.. I personally go to movies to be kept on the edge of the seat, not slumped in it asleep with drool leaking out the left side of my face, catatonic, with a still uneaten box of popcorn tipped over in my lap . This movie sucked on the 7th level. Artsy? Yeah... If thats what you want.
It was the way in which they set it up.
Apparently Clooney's character is VERY skilled with not only using but creating specialized weapons. He is contracted to put together a sniper style rifle to incredibly exacting standards... if I recall correctly at one point he describes the needs as a mix between a submachine gun and a sniper rifle... and a plain old Mini-14 with a folding stock is the answer? Just seemed a little odd and silly. There was a considerable amount of build up about needing a specialized weapon and the pay off was about as plain-jane of a rifle as can be.
Don't get me wrong, the Mini-14 is a nice firearm (although I don't personally care for the way magazines lock in place) but it just seemed extremely lackluster compared to what was being asked for in the movie.
Don't get me wrong, the Mini-14 is a nice firearm (although I don't personally care for the way magazines lock in place) but it just seemed extremely lackluster compared to what was being asked for in the movie.
There is no argument that this movie was definitely NOT a "keep you on the edge of your seat" kind of film.
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