While the trailers for “American Assassin” gives away nearly everything: Mitch Rapp (“The Maze Runner’s” Dylan O’Brien) proposes to his girlfriend on a tropical beach while on vacation, only to lose her minutes later during a terrorist attack.
But like it should that graphic intro is what hooks you in with Mitch, who takes this unsettling event as motivation to seek revenge for killing his fiancé and the others. He spends 18 months training and imbeds himself with the enemy. Meanwhile the CIA
keeps tabs on him and brings him in for one of their high level programs.
Mitch is taken under the wing of veteran agent Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton) the psychotic, fixated and impulsive chief operative. These two team-up to take down and eliminate a rogue American and his Middle Eastern partners who are building a nuke.
Granted this plotline has been done to death many times. But due to the cast and current events “American Assassin” works great as a modern spy thriller. Before seeing the trailer I was unaware this was based on the best-selling 2010 novel by late author Vince Flynn, “American Assassin” is not as complex as Bourne” or the
Misiosion: Impossible” films, though there’s a nice twist about an hour in that definitely does the trick. The action, in particular the hand-to-hand combat sequences, is more than impressive and the explosive finale is not only stunning but also surprisingly gripping.
O’Brien is an engaging lead and seems quite comfortable as a millennial version of Jason Bourne; really hope to see him in more action movies possibly even a sequel here. Keaton’s role is a bit small, he‘s hard hitting but doesn’t kick as much butt as I had hoped. However, thanks to a classic climactic scene with bad guy Taylor Kitsch, Keaton now has something in common with another Michael – Mike Tyson. Let’s just say, it’s a little ear-y to watch.
Rated R for strong violence throughout, some torture, language and brief nudity
no surprises here what you see it what you get so I would reckomend watching through ClearPlay or VidAngel
i give it a B
