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The Amateur is an action thriller film directed by James Hawes that was released in theaters on April 11, 2025. Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli co-wrote the film's screenplay, which is adapted from Robert Littell's 1981 novel of the same name.
The spy movie features a talented line-up of actors, led by the Oscar-winning Rami Malek, who plays the CIA analyst Charlie Heller. It also stars Caitríona Balfe, Rachel Brosnahan, Michael Stuhlbarg, Laurence Fishburne, Holt McCallany, and Julianne Nicholson in supporting roles.
Charlie is driven to vengeance after his wife, Sarah, is accidentally killed by the leader of a terrorist group, Horst Schiller. Using his intelligence and training, the rogue CIA agent tracks down the mercenary group and brings them to justice without pulling the trigger even once. By the end of the film, Charlie fulfills his mission without turning into a hardened killer himself.
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Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for The Amateur.
Charlie proves himself to be a superior killer in The Amateur
CIA cryptographer Charlie Heller's life takes a drastic turn when his wife, Sarah, is killed in a terrorist attack in London. Grief-stricken, he leaves behind his office desk job to hunt down his wife's killers. Through his connections, he discovers that the CIA has been carrying out false flag operations throughout the world by teaming up with a mercenary group.
During one of those operations in London, Sarah was taken hostage and killed by Horst Schiller. Charlie leverages the information to get the CIA's help in becoming a stealth killer, so that he can take down the terrorist group himself. But, despite undergoing combat training under Colonel Robert Henderson at Camp Peary, Charlie cannot bring himself to pull the trigger to end someone's life.
Instead, he relies on his wit and hacking skills to bring the criminals to justice. Charlie gets rid of Schiller's associates— the ex-Armenian intelligence officer Gretchen Frank, the Belarusian criminal Mishka Blazhic, and the South African ex-special forces operative Ellish— one by one without directly killing them.
In the climax of The Amateur, Charlie tracks down Horst Schiller's location to a ship in the Baltic Sea. When given the chance to exact his revenge, Charlie shows incredible self-restraint. He diverts the ship to the Gulf of Finland, where Schiller is arrested by Interpol so that he can answer for his crimes in court.
Charlie unearths the CIA's covert operations in The Amateur
After Sarah's death exposes the corruption within the CIA, Charlie realizes that it goes to the top of the organization.
It soon becomes clear that the CIA Deputy Director, Alex Moore, was running illegal operations around the world to promote American interests, despite them being deemed unethical by his superiors. Moore hired mercenaries like Schiller to conduct drone strikes that ended up killing many civilians, but he blamed suicide bombers for the casualties.
Moore gives orders to kill Charlie after recognizing the threat he poses. But the rogue agent outsmarts Moore and his deputy, Caleb Horowitz, who sends CIA agents to finish the job. The Amateur ends with Moore and Caleb being arrested after their illegal activities come to light.
Charlie finds an ally in Henderson in The Amateur
Henderson and Charlie's dynamic starts off as mentor-protege, as the protagonist receives field training from Henderson. Their paths cross again after Moore orders Henderson to kill Charlie to stop him from exposing his covert operations.
While Henderson pursues him in Madrid, he is left wounded by another CIA operative sent to protect Charlie. But Charlie spares his mentor's life, refusing to let an innocent man die on his watch. Following their near-fatal interaction, Henderson abandons his orders, showing that he has developed a newfound respect for Charlie and his unrelenting pursuit of justice.
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