Jack (George Clooney) and Ingrid (Irina Björklund) are having a romantic time in a log cabin in Dalarna, central Sweden. One morning they set off through the virgin snow for a walk. Almost virgin. There's a set of tracks belonging to a hunter Lars Hjelm. There's another (Björn Granath) nearby. An incident occurs, and Jack (the American of the title) leaves Sweden by the next ferry.

A train journey from Munich (Germany) to Rome, and Jack's sitting in a café with tetchy old employer Pavel (Johan Leysen). He's an assassin, and both men are getting on in years. Pavel gives him car-keys and packs him off to the countryside with strict instructions not to make friends this time.

Castel del Monte (Abruzzo, Italy) proves a friendly and inquisitive town. Local priest Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli) takes an interest in Jack, who is now photographer Eduardo (Edward). Jack focusses on lying low, while doing comprehensive physical-fitness workouts in his flat (and visiting a brothel).

There's a farmer's market in the town of Sulmona. Buying from a cheese seller (Silvana Bosi) Jack sees a slim, sophisticated woman in shades with cascading red curled hair. He sits next to her at a restaurant table, but it's not what it seems. Mathilde (Thekla Reuten) is his last job for Pavel. She's a fellow assassin and wants a special rifle built, complete with sound diffuser.

At the brothel there's a choice of prostitutes (Ilaria Cramerotti, Angelica Novak, Isabelle Adriani), but it's Clara (Violante Placido) whom Jack likes. He tells Clara that he wants her to be herself; not to fake orgasm for him; that he comes to her to receive pleasure not to give it. But it's clear that Clara soon loves him, and that he is fond of, and gentle to, her.

Gun parts arrive by post, and Jack finds metal odds-and-ends in the workshop of garage-owner Fabio (Filippo Timi) - who looks a lot like Fr Benedetto. Mathilde's weapon shapes-up well and she comes for a test-shoot. It fires accurately, and the sound diffuser works a treat. She asks for some adjustments to be made, orders special ammunition which he will make for her, and hands over a cash deposit. They arrange a date for the final handover.

The Swedes haven't forgotten Dalarna. A Swedish assassin (Samuli Vauramo) closes in. Jack sees Mathilde in a suspicious meeting. Pavel is plotting something. Fr Benedetto wants to save Jack's soul. Jack's falling for Clara in spite of himself, and she's besotted. He sets off to give Mathilde her gun. But is he being set up? And who is her intended target? Why is there a gun in Clara's handbag?

Anton Corbijn directs action based on a screenplay by Rowan Joffe, from a novel (A Very Private Gentleman) by Martin Booth. Producers include George Clooney (and Anne Carey, Jill Green, Grant Heslov, Ann Wingate). Dialogue is not great, with some fairly wooden lines. Fr Benedetto's, in particular, are mainly familiar soap-opera-priest talk. Mathilde is written as a generally-predictable one-dimensional character.

The character of Clara doesn't have much material in the script and could easily have ended up as a cipher, but Violante Placido creates a delightful, flesh-and-blood portrayal. Clara may be a stereotype on paper, but the performance makes Clara full of life (and love), someone to be cared about.

Without George Clooney the film probably wouldn't work well. The story travels along well-used tracks. But his acting skills are so remarkable that it's difficult to look away from his face. The occasional lasting shots where he says nothing, but looks, makes a small movement of the eye, reflects, tell everything about Jack and what Jack has come to as his professional career - and perhaps his life - draw to an end.

Original Music is by Herbert Grönemeyer. Elegant photography by Martin Ruhe makes the best of gorgeous countryside and towns in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Jeremy Braben directs some very smart aerial photography. Gabriella Di Santo is re-shoots unit manager, which on this production must be a worrying job - though as George Clooney is producing, he may not be billing his daily rate. Thomas Jones handles armoury props, and there are a lot of those in this picture. George Clooney's stunt double Emiliano Novelli sees plenty of action, along with steadicam operator Alessandro Brambilla - the streets of Castel del Monte look vertical, and boy, can these assassins run.

Unit nurse Gunilla Nordin hopefully doesn't have too much work - surely all those explosive mercury-tipped bullets and the rest of the ammunition aren't real? Most-nervous-job-on-the-set title must go to chef Marek Szpojankowski. Imagine cooking for George Clooney every day. Still, he might be a baked-beans-cold-from-the-tin man. Real, our George.

Cast Credits: IMDB: www.imdb.com/title/tt1440728/

Company Credits: IMDB: www.imdb.com/title/tt1440728/

END

John Park

reviewed Friday 1 October 2010 / Press screening / NFT2, National Film Theatre, London UK

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

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