Why a slow-burn spy thriller became one of cinema's most divisive box-office hits
In short: Anton Corbijn’s 2010 thriller The American is a study in contradictions. While critics praised its austere, European-style atmosphere and George Clooney’s restrained performance, audiences famously rejected it. Marketed as an action-packed blockbuster, the film delivered a meditative, suspense-heavy character study, leading to a rare disconnect between professional reviews and viewer satisfaction.
The American, based on Martin Booth’s 1990 novel A Very Private Gentleman, follows Jack, a professional assassin hiding in the Italian mountains after a traumatic job in Sweden. Director Anton Corbijn intentionally crafted the film as a homage to the Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone and the narrative precision of 1970s thrillers like The Day of the Jackal. By utilizing the labyrinthine, narrow streets of Abruzzo towns like Castel del Monte, Corbijn sought to evoke the visual tension found in Nicolas Roeg’s Don't Look Now.
The film’s production was deeply rooted in its Italian setting, with scenes filmed in locations including Sulmona and Pacentro. Corbijn’s commitment to atmosphere extended to the smallest details: a waiter in a restaurant scene was directed to stand before a lamp so his shadow resembled devil’s horns, and the film’s score was composed by Herbert Grönemeyer. Despite these artistic choices, the film’s reception was starkly polarized. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 64% approval rating, with Roger Ebert awarding it four stars for its Japanese-drama-like focus and impenetrable protagonist.
However, the general public reacted with significant hostility. CinemaScore audiences gave the film a D- grade, a reaction largely attributed to a marketing campaign that promised a high-octane action movie rather than the glacial, character-driven piece Corbijn delivered. This mismatch between expectation and reality highlights the fragility of genre expectations in Hollywood. While the film grossed $67.9 million against a $20 million budget, it remains a case study in how the packaging of a film can fundamentally alter, or even destroy, its reception by the intended audience.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The American (2010 film)
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