The Amateur (2025)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A CIA cryptographer must blackmail his own agency into training him to hunt down the terrorists who killed his wife.
The story
When a CIA cryptographer's wife is killed in a terrorist attack, he discovers that his superiors have been covering up the truth behind the violence. To seek justice, he blackmails the agency into providing him with specialized training. He is sent to 'The Farm' to learn the skills necessary to hunt down the four individuals responsible for the tragedy. As he navigates the dangerous world of espionage and clandestine operations, he must balance his internal struggle with the growing danger of his mission to find the truth and confront the men who destroyed his life.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
CIA cryptographer Charlie Heller is training a new drone system when his wife, Sarah, is killed in a terrorist attack. After discovering his superiors, specifically Director Alex Moore, were involved in shady dealings, Charlie blackmails the agency into training him at 'The Farm'. He identifies four suspects: Mishka Blazhic, Lawrence Ellish, Gretchen Frank, and the mastermind Horst Schiller. During his training, he is deemed unfit for combat by his handler, Robert Henderson, but he continues his hunt. Charlie tracks Gretchen to Paris, where she is killed by a vehicle after he fails to shoot her. He then travels to Marseille and eventually to Istanbul, where he meets a contact named Davies. In Madrid, he kills Blazhic. He then travels to Romania, where he kills Ellish after learning Schiller's location. Finally, Charlie reaches Schiller on a ship in the Baltic Sea. Instead of a direct confrontation, Charlie hacks the ship to ensure Schiller is captured by authorities, while his corrupt superiors are arrested. Charlie returns home to finish his plane's restoration.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James Hawes
- Writers
- Ken Nolan · screenplay; Gary Spinelli · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Rami Malek · Charles "Charlie" Heller; Laurence Fishburne · Robert "Hendo" Henderson; Rachel Brosnahan · Sarah Heller; Caitríona Balfe · Inquiline / Davies; Michael Stuhlbarg · Horst Schiller; Holt McCallany · Alex Moore; Julianne Nicholson · Samantha O'Brien; Danny Sapani · Caleb Horowitz
- Genres
- spy; action; thriller
- Themes
- revenge; betrayal; grief
- Tone and mood
- tense; pulpy
- Setting
- Various international locations including London, Paris, Marseille, Istanbul, Madrid, Romania, and the Baltic Sea.
- Premise and plot tags
- espionage; vigilante; action
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1981 novel by Robert Littell
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 77% · scale: percentage
- Production trivia
- The film was based on a 1981 novel that was previously adapted into a 1981 Canadian film.; The film was originally scheduled for release on November 8, 2024.; One of the stars of the 1981 film makes a cameo appearance as a florist in Paris.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…