Review | ‘The Amateur’ provides an updated portrayal of espionage and government intelligence - The Daily Iowan

Review | ‘The Amateur’ provides an updated portrayal of espionage and government intelligence - The Daily Iowan

In the age of movie remakes, sequels, and movies based on video games and books, it seems everything that comes out of Hollywood has already been done before. Although this may be the case for “The Amateur” starring Rami Malek, as it was based on a book and a previous movie adaptation from 1981, the movie broke stereotypes that Malek has been fighting for years. Because of this, and because of my love for Malek, I had to collect a few of my frie…

‘The Amateur’ Review: An Unsafe World

For about 20 minutes, “The Amateur” is pretty exciting: It’s glossy, it’s beautifully cast and it boasts an intriguing premise. Charlie Heller (Rami Malek), a CIA cryptographer (the movie informs us right off the bat that he has a “big…

Rami Malek is ranked second on the German cinema charts as the "The Amateur". Is that the return of the classic action cinema?

COLUMN: ‘The Amateur:’ Geeks can be badass too

After his wife dies in a terrorist attack in London, Charlie Heller (Rami Malek), a CIA decoder, travels around the globe to get answers and revenge while being pursued by his corrupt boss. The description of the film was not very gripping. It sounded very bland and unoriginal, but the trailer is what really sold me – which is ironic because I try to avoid trailers.   Seeing the perspective of the nerds and them using their skills and knowledge …

Review: ‘The Amateur’ doesn’t understand its message

You can’t look up the budget for the CIA. Ever since the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949, it has remained a secret not only from the public, but from Congress. To obtain some semblance of the budget, you have to comb through out-of-place bylines in every other government department and agency until you can piece together a rough outline.  This lack of oversight and the hidden actions the CIA takes in service of national security are the …