ild-mannered CIA cryptographer Charlie Heller (Rami Malek) spends his work days hunched over a computer in a windowless underground office, combing through encrypted data files and chatting with an anonymous, unknown informant before going home to his loving wife Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan) and his pet-project airplane restoration. When Sarah is shockingly abducted and killed in a London terror attack, Charlie’s normally uneventful world is thrown into chaos. Stricken with grief, guilt, and anger, Heller uses his computer prowess to blackmail his bosses (Holt McCallany and Danny Sapani) into giving him the spy training needed to hunt down and execute his wife’s killers himself. Handed off to specialist Colonel Henderson (Laurence Fishburne), Charlie receives a crash course in killing, only to discover that he doesn’t have the physical or mental fortitude to take a life with his own hands – but that doesn’t stop him from heading to Paris to begin a calculated, though reckless, offensive on those who wronged him.

From the opening shots, Volker Bertelmann’s music, full of stabbing percussion sounds and bassy violin notes, sharply complements the players and the actions. Ultimately, “The Amateur” becomes a project full of such pleasing accompaniments, as the acting, the tone, the pacing, and the tension work well together, shaping an effective little thriller that often feels far cleverer and more authentic than it actually is (the perception of knowledgeable tradecraft is more convincing than the actual onscreen delineations). When all the pieces coalesce harmoniously, it’s much easier to appreciate the whole, even when it may lack creativity or surprises for this particular genre and formula.

It’s the second time the story (by Robert Littell) has been adapted to film (firstly in 1981), but it’s definitely not a premise that seems entirely original, regardless of its cinematic history. A meticulous, bookish, puzzle-obsessed programmer and analyst is suddenly forced to become a man of action, not unlike in quite a number of Liam Neeson or Jason Statham films, following a blueprint that often has an unassuming individual reveal some extraordinary skills when it comes to killing people (it’s a recipe also used, perhaps more identifiably, with Jack Ryan). However, rather than devolving into a mindless action flick, “The Amateur” aims its sights at being believable; like in “Death Wish,” the lead character here is unprepared, untrained, and uncertain about vengeful murdering. What is revenge supposed to look like? What is a hero who enacts such vengeance supposed to look like?

Greater realism is aided by minute details of scrutinizing over photos and videos, hacker-like activities, computer manipulation, geolocation gimmicks, extensive surveillance (with a nod to the government’s overreach when it comes to privacy), and a handful of hi-tech (or low-tech) improvised contraptions for destruction. Despite moments of extremely questionable technology (at one point, a paperclip-sized bugging device manages to transmit signals between the United States and a London airport, while Heller always seems to have his trusty backpack even after fleeing locations in the middle of the night in a rush), “The Amateur” is the kind of film that manages to feel rational and brainy even when it might in fact be nonsensical. Some of that realism goes out the window with macho personas like Henderson, though he definitely adds a touch of comedy and a substitute for narration for audiences not picking up on just how contrary it is for a techie to wield a gun. “You’re just not a killer, Charlie.”

In many ways, this endeavor is a breath of fresh air in the face of the over-the-top actioners of late that utilize similar professions. It’s more of a “Munich,” or “The Conversation,” or “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” than it is a shoot-‘em-up ordeal, routinely using slower, methodical, calmer depictions of high-stakes intelligence operations to relate its tale of calamitous retribution. It’s a shame that it occasionally resorts to coincidences, accidents, convenient connections, and pure luck for some of its interactions, but it’s difficult not to enjoy the complexities of black-ops programs unraveling (and political corruptions exposed), the dissection of moral justifications and how killing can warp the normalcy of relationships, and the unusually satisfying climax. It may pose farfetched confrontations and wrap up too neatly at the end, but the careful plotting, the earnestness of its design, and the quality of its actors really help to sell the narrative.

– The Massie Twins