As it is, the movie is a perfectly good way to waste a rainy Sunday afternoon.
While on vacation in Ibiza, Spain, Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien) intends to propose to his girlfriend, celebrate, and soak in the sun. Those plans change drastically when terrorists attack their resort and kill his new fiancee. Mitch commits himself to an intense training program with the intent to infiltrate the terrorist organization and get revenge. His tenacity attracts the attention of CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan, Disappearing Acts,) who intervenes on his behalf. Believing bigger things are in store for Rapp, Kennedy introduces him to Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton,) a former Navy SEAL, who runs a program to mold men without formal military training into whip-smart counter-terrorist agents.
Kennedy believes Rapp has potential like no agent she’s ever seen before. Hurley worries that Rapp’s emotions might be too intense because his motivation is deeply connected to the loss of his girlfriend. Of course, if Rapp wasn’t to be tested, we wouldn’t have a movie. And, thanks to a villain played by Taylor Kitsch, who steals a nuclear device for the Iranians, American Assassin throws a somewhat under-prepared Rapp into immediate action.
With its techno-trappings, world-hopping, and secret agent facade, American Assassin initially looks like it belongs in the same class as a James Bond or Jason Bourne film. In actuality, when stripped of all its 21st century window-dressing, it’s just a basic action movie with a fairly predictable plot. Thankfully, the performances and the dialogue make it worth sitting through. Dylan O’Brien, who I last saw in the enjoyable Love and Monsters, makes a convincing action hero. It’s hard to believe Michael Keaton once used to be a goofy stand-up comedian because here he’s genuinely believable as a borderline psychotic hard-ass. He’s come a long way since people doubted he could pull off playing Batman.
Although the character of Mitch Rapp continued his adventures in book form, as of yet, no plans for a sequel have surfaced for American Assassin. And, honestly, that’s fine. As it is, the movie is a perfectly good way to waste a rainy Sunday afternoon. I don’t know that it needs or warrants a franchise.
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
