The American

George Clooney's latest vehicle is neither an action movie, nor a conventional thriller, but rather an enigmatic mood piece. Jack (George Clooney) is a master assassin who we learn almost nothing about, aside from the fact that he's a dour, taciturn loner, filled with inner turmoil. Jack's grimly inexplicable story begins in desolate, snow-covered Dalarma, Sweden, where he's being hunted. After reporting in to his handler Pavel (Johan Leysen), Jack is dispatched to picturesque Castel Del Monte, an ancient Abruzzo hill town in Italy, where he's told to craft a custom-designed weapon for inscrutable Mathilde (Thekla Reuten), who is obviously also a professional killer. Between exercise sessions and methodically constructing this firearm in his rented room, Jack bonds with the gregarious Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli) and takes up with Clara (Violante Placido), a prostitute at a nearby bordello. Based on Martin Booth's novel A Very Private Gentleman, director Anton Corbjin's The American is a spare, self-consciously somber, and visually captivating study that is unfortunately not very emotionally involving. Still, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Anton Corbijn, a “Journey to Redemption” making-of featurette (11 min.), deleted scenes (6 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus digital copy of the film, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an uneven film.] (S. Granger)