The stillness of the film reminded me that the director, Anton Corbijn, was a still's photographer - what a coincidence - Here, the proceedings are enormously self-conscious, therefore the pacing becomes a minus instead of a plus. I like George Clooney but here he's in every frame and I kept longing for the Alain Delon of Jean Pierre Melville's "Le Samourai" Here I started to get impatient ten minutes into the film, something that never, ever, happened to me with a Melville film. On the plus side, the locations are breathtaking, like in "Eat Pray Love" but with a darker mood and a more "artistic" intention but stunning none the less. Violante Placido (daughter of Michele Placido) gives us an astonishing full frontal seconds after her appearance on the screen. I was already familiar with her spectacular forms for a film in which she was directed by her daddy. I think Anton Corbijn, is a talented director to be followed, at least until his next film. Then let's see what happens.
Review of The American
