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IMDbPro

The American

  • 20102010
  • RR
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
97K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,943
52
George Clooney and Violante Placido in The American (2010)
An assassin hiding out in an Italian village while he anticipates his last-ever assignment tempts fate by seeking out the friendship of a priest (Bonacelli) as well as the affection of a local woman (Placido).
Play trailer0:54
9 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionCrimeDrama
An assassin hides out in Italy for one last assignment.An assassin hides out in Italy for one last assignment.An assassin hides out in Italy for one last assignment.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
97K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,943
52
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Anton Corbijn
    • Writers
      • Rowan Joffe(screenplay)
      • Martin Booth(novel "A Very Private Gentleman")
    • Stars
      • George Clooney
      • Paolo Bonacelli
      • Violante Placido
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Anton Corbijn
    • Writers
      • Rowan Joffe(screenplay)
      • Martin Booth(novel "A Very Private Gentleman")
    • Stars
      • George Clooney
      • Paolo Bonacelli
      • Violante Placido
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 575User reviews
    • 334Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
    • Awards
      • 4 nominations

    Videos9

    The American: Trailer #2
    Trailer 0:54
    The American: Trailer #2
    The American
    Trailer 1:39
    The American
    The American
    Clip 0:36
    The American
    The American
    Clip 0:56
    The American
    The American
    Clip 1:20
    The American
    The American
    Clip 0:56
    The American
    The American
    Interview 0:33
    The American
    The American
    Interview 0:45
    The American
    The American
    Interview 0:44
    The American

    Photos107

    Thekla Reuten in The American (2010)
    Anton Corbijn and Thekla Reuten in The American (2010)
    George Clooney and Thekla Reuten in The American (2010)
    George Clooney and Violante Placido in The American (2010)
    George Clooney, Anton Corbijn, and Guido Palliggiano in The American (2010)
    Anton Corbijn and Violante Placido in The American (2010)
    Violante Placido in The American (2010)
    Thekla Reuten in The American (2010)
    George Clooney and Filippo Timi in The American (2010)
    Anton Corbijn in The American (2010)
    George Clooney in The American (2010)
    George Clooney and Paolo Bonacelli in The American (2010)

    Top cast

    Edit
    George Clooney
    George Clooney
    • Jack…
    Paolo Bonacelli
    Paolo Bonacelli
    • Father Benedetto
    Violante Placido
    Violante Placido
    • Clara
    Irina Björklund
    Irina Björklund
    • Ingrid
    • (as Irina Bjorklund)
    Lars Hjelm
    • Hunter #1
    Björn Granath
    Björn Granath
    • Hunter #2
    Johan Leysen
    Johan Leysen
    • Pavel
    Giorgio Gobbi
    • Man on Vespa
    Silvana Bosi
    • Old Cheese Vendor
    Thekla Reuten
    Thekla Reuten
    • Mathilde
    Guido Palliggiano
    • Waiter (Market)
    Samuel Vauramo
    Samuel Vauramo
    • Young Swedish Man
    • (as Samuli Vauramo)
    Antonio Rampino
    • Postmaster
    Filippo Timi
    Filippo Timi
    • Fabio
    Ilaria Cramerotti
    • Hooker #2
    Angelica Novak
    • Hooker #3
    Isabelle Adriani
    Isabelle Adriani
    • Hooker #1
    Lello Serao
    • Barman (Town Square Bar)
    • (as Raffaele Serao)
    • Director
      • Anton Corbijn
    • Writers
      • Rowan Joffe(screenplay)
      • Martin Booth(novel "A Very Private Gentleman")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      With the influx of cast and crew, the existing population of Castel del Monte - 129 people - was more than doubled. When a crew member needed emergency dental work, he had to go to a nearby town as the answering machine of Castel del Monte's dentist declared that he was "unavailable, due to his appearance in a Hollywood film."
    • Goofs
      Apart from the news article in the newspaper clipping being written in very bad Swedish, the body of the text is about a suicide bomber being caught on a tram in Gothenburg, Sweden.
    • Quotes

      Father Benedetto: [speaking to Jack] You cannot deny the existence of hell. You live in it. It is a place without love.

    • Crazy credits
      The credits at the end are in order of appearance. However, the 3 hookers are listed in the order: Hooker #2, Hooker #3 and Hooker #1, which logically doesn't make sense.
    • Connections
      Featured in Maltin on Movies: The American (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      La Bambola
      Written by Ruggero Cini, Franco Migliacci (as Francesco Migliacci) and Bruno Zambrini

      Performed by Patty Pravo

      Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment (Italy) s.p.a.

      by arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

    User reviews575

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    Not to all tastes - but to mine
    This is not a movie that will appeal to everyone, even fans of George Clooney, who is in almost every scene. His famous smile and immense charm are totally absent in a tight, laconic role as the eponymous assassin-cum-gunsmith Jack/Edward/Mr Butterfly. But I really admired this brave departure from the Hollywood dazzle which has a genuinely different pacing plus look and sound.

    So if you're expecting a fast-moving, action-packed thriller, forget it. After a dramatic pre-title sequence, there is more than an hour of a quiet, slow build up to the retributive finale. The assassin is determined to do one last job before giving up his nefarious profession, but two women are complicating his intentions: fellow shootist Mathilde, played icily by the Dutch Thekla Reuten, and a local prostitute Clara, the beautiful Italian actress Violante Placido. Which woman will get her man? This is a visually striking work, partly because of the unusual setting in the arid terrain of the Abruzzo region of central Italy and the narrow, cobbled streets of the town of Castel del Monte, partly because of the artistry of Dutch photographer turned director Anton Corbijn and his German cinematographer Martin Ruhe. The sparse script is the work of Rowan Joffe (son of the director Roland Joffe) who has adapted the novel "A Very Private Gentleman" by the British novelist Martin Booth.

    Clooney is a great lover of all things Italian and this film - which he co-produced - is obviously a very personal work which is likely to be more enjoyed in Europe than in the States.
    helpful•147
    25
    • rogerdarlington
    • Dec 10, 2010

    FAQ2

    • Why was Mathilde shot by Pavel?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 1, 2010 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • TVP VOD
    • Languages
      • English
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • A Very Private Gentleman
    • Filming locations
      • Castel del Monte, L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Focus Features
      • Greenlit Rights
      • Smokehouse Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $20,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $35,606,376
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $13,177,790
      • Sep 5, 2010
    • Gross worldwide
      • $67,876,281
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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