The Amateur (2025) Film Review: Rami Malek's unconventional action hero impresses

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Following the tragic murder of his beloved wife, Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan), in a London terrorist attack, CIA decoder Charlie Heller (Rami Malek) takes matters into his own hands when his superiors refuse to take action.

The Amateur (2025) is an eclectic blend of espionage, vigilante, and action revenge thriller, based on the 1981 novel of the same and a modern remake of the original Canadian film adaptation released that same year. This time around, BAFTA award nominee James Hawes is at the helm, known for his moving period drama One Life (2023) and for directing multiple episodes of the hit show Black Mirror (2011-).

The main selling point of the film is its star, with the unique take on a traditional action hero and Malek's captivating performance. Everyone loves an underdog story, and Charlie possesses many qualities of a protagonist who is incredibly investable and easy to root for. He is modest about his high IQ, except when he needs to use it against those who have wronged him, and he has a deeply human motive for becoming a fugitive after losing the love of his life. On a side note, a highly intelligent decoder has to watch a YouTube video to learn how to pick a lock - an easy way to make your character relatable!

Despite having little screen time, Brosnahan as Sarah is lovely, and the two actors have believable chemistry, with Malek especially demonstrating the raw devastation of finding out his wife has been killed perfectly. Laurence Fishburne also proves a valuable addition to the cast as Charlie's mentor, providing an equally as capable and level-headed presence for Malek to bounce off of.

CIA decoder, Charlie, tracks one of the terrorists responsible for his wife's death

The movie also exhibits slick editing and an admirable speedy pace, encouraging viewers to stay engaged despite various location switches and plenty of heavy tech jargon. The length is arguably slightly too long, clocking in at just over two hours, and some fat could have been trimmed, however, the inevitable build-up to a final showdown of sorts between Charlie and his wife's primary killer is tantalising. There are plenty of well-staged action set pieces to keep things entertaining, with a cinematic swimming pool stunt, which is unfortunately given away by the trailer. It is a welcome change of pace to see our lead use his intellect and intelligence to craft creative ways to enact his revenge.

Although the film does often suffer from a formulaic plot with some seen-before tropes in the genre, it is hard to deny the sheer energy that the whole cast and crew bring to the table, and a refreshing take on our stereotypical macho action star is always welcome. A surprisingly investing watch!

Check out the trailer for The Amateur below, and please let me know what you think of the film in the comments!