American Assassin

American Assassin

Starring Dylan O'Brien, Michael Keaton, Sanaa Lathan, Taylor Kitsch

Directed by Michael Cuesta

The Story:
While vacationing in Spain with his fiancee, Mitch Rapp (Dylan O'Brien) is helpless when terrorists attack the beach, killing his fiancee and seriously wounding him.  Eighteen months later, Mitch is trying to infiltrate the terrorist cell responsible for the attack, and finds a way to get into their group, all the while unbeknownst to him being watched by the CIA and its Deputy Director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan).

When Mitch is taken by the CIA, they want to train him to be a black ops agent, but Mitch is rigid and unruly, but Irene sees something strong in him.  So she sends him to former Navy SEAL and Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton) to train him and make him more of an agent, yet he still is disobedient and unruly, but time becomes the essence as the parts to make an atomic bomb go missing, and they have to find out who's responsible.

It turns out the person behind it is named Ghost (Taylor Kitsch), who harbors a deep-seeded past with Stan, and together Mitch and Stan have to stop Ghost before he detonates the bomb.

The Synopsis:
"American Assassin" is based off a novel series by Vince Flynn, with obvious parallels to Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne character (both are young, fit agents who show exceptional skills and talents and who often work alone).  There was hopes when director Michael Cuesta (known for directing several episodes of "Homeland") took the reins and turned one of the novels into a movie that it would begin a franchise as beloved and acclaimed as the Jason Bourne series.  If "American Assassin" is any indication, that will never happen.

That's not to say the film is a total flop, but it's just...plain.  It's a typical spy film that you can add to the barrel of the plethora of other similar spy movies.  It doesn't distinguish itself and stand out from the crowd, but instead blends in with it so much you won't remember many of the details after it ends - or you'll confuse it with another movie of similar type.  Let's view the checklist and see if it pans out:

1) An ordinary man pushed to the extreme after a tragic event - CHECK
Mitch Rapp is just a mild-mannered young man who just proposed to his girlfriend.  Life is great, and he's over the moon.  Then terrorists attack, and his girlfriend gets killed.  In all honesty, the best part of the entire film is this opening sequence, because it's so real it's terrifying, especially taken in light of recent events.  People are enjoying themselves on a beach, without a care in the world, and then - without warning - a swarm of terrorists start shooting indiscriminately.  This first scene earns the film its R-rating, as you see in vivid, gory detail the events that unfold, and it's unflinching, filled with fear, despair, and death.  Sadly, the rest of the film doesn't keep up this momentum, and everything that happens after is like a balloon slowly deflating.

2) Said ordinary man bulks up and sets his sights on revenge - CHECK
Eighteen months later, Mitch is now a muscle-bound man who spends all his time at the gym, using a punching bag, throws knives and uses with frequency and accuracy several types of guns.  He's been working undercover for himself to find the terrorist cell that took his fiancee's life, and manages to find them.

3) Shadowy government watches said ordinary man and takes him in - CHECK
The CIA has been watching Mitch this whole time, and just when he's about to taste the sweet nectar of revenge, they swoop in and take him in.

4) Government agent sees promise in ordinary man, despite his obvious flaws - CHECK
The Deputy Director of the CIA sees promise in Mitch - even using the cliched line "he's testing off the charts" several times - and wants him to be adequately trained, but Mitch obviously shows no interest in this.

5) A gruff, no-nonsense former military man takes in troubled young man under his wing - CHECK
Besides the opening sequence, Michael Keaton is the other shining light in this film.  His stock has been steadily rising again in recent films, and here he gives it his all as well.  He's the reclusive trainer who has a dark past and has a no-nonsense way about him that turns him into a strict drill instructor to Mitch.

6) Montage of troubled young man learning the ropes - CHECK
Mitch goes through a series of tests by Stan to make him a better agent, about as cliched as anything you'd come up with.

7) Gruff, no-nonsense former military man and troubled young man bond - CHECK
Stan and Mitch begin to grow fond of one another, and when news of a nuclear bomb could be in play, they take on a father-son relationship as they track down the suspects.

8) Troubled young man always has trouble listening to directions - CHECK
Stan tells Mitch not to chase the target - Mitch chases target.  Stan tells Mitch to stay low and don't attack the enemy - Mitch rises and attacks the enemy.  Stan tells Mitch to get him a vanilla ice cream cone - Mitch brings him a chocolate ice cream cone.  Mitch bucks the system, and in turn becomes a know-it-all that's annoying and makes him a stock character that you can replace with any other actor and no one would know the difference.

9) Main bad guy has a dark past with the good guy - CHECK
Taylor Kitch's Ghost was a former operative who worked under Stan, but turned against America for...reasons?  I can't really remember why he went all "death to America," but I'm sure he mentioned it - I just can't remember why.

10) Moment when former trainee and new trainee spar - CHECK
Of course, Ghost and Mitch eventually go at it, and the outcome is about as obvious as knowing that in America, it's forbidden by law to be a criminal.

11) A mantra is repeated throughout the film, and the characters never listen to it - CHECK
A fun drinking game to play here would be to take a drink every time someone says, "don't let it get personal."  It'd be even more fun if you took another drink every time someone took it personal.  You'd be drunk well before the closing credits.  Stan tells Mitch to not let it get personal, yet he's determined to kill Ghost because he was once his protege, therefore making it personal.  Mitch's whole reason for existing in this film is to get revenge for his fallen fiancee - again making it personal.  Ghost wants to set off a nuclear bomb because he has detached daddy issues with Stan - yep, making it personal again.

The film's title is an apt description of the characters in this film: "American ASS/ASS/IN."  The first is Mitch himself - a cocky, unruly, dangerous individual who feels his way is the best, and no one is as good as he is.  The second is Ghost, who becomes a terrorist because Stan didn't give him the love and attention he needed.  Both characters are so thinly written and poorly executed it's a laughable mess.

The Summary:
"American Assassin" is one of those spy films you'll eventually confuse with all others, because it's basically a step-by-step checklist for every other type of spy movie ever made.

The Score: B