The Amateur film review: Action-packed but lacks originality

THE AMATEUR

(12A) 123mins

★★★☆☆

After losing wife Sarah in a devastating terrorist attack in London, introverted CIA codebreaker Charlie Heller (Rami Malek) is consumed by grief and rage. When the investigation stalls and his superior refuses to let him pursue the attackers, Heller takes matters into his own hands. Directed by James Hawes, The Amateur sets up an intriguing premise. Heller isn't a highly trained assassin, he's an intelligence specialist, a man more comfortable behind a computer than in the field.

Lacks intensity

His transformation into an unlikely vigilante makes this compelling, if clichéd. Sadly, the Bohemian Rhapsody star appears somewhat out of his element in this role, highlighting his limitations within the action-thriller genre. The script follows a well-worn revenge-thriller formula. The action sequences, though well executed, lack the raw, visceral intensity of similar films.

Overall, The Amateur is a solid thriller that falls short of greatness. It's worth seeing for the action, but is let down by predictable storytelling and Malek's less than convincing delivery.

DROP

(15) 100mins

★★★★☆

A successful thriller understands the assignment: stay sharp, remain focused and deliver a constant stream of tension. Drop, the latest offering from horror outfit Blumhouse Productions, manages that perfectly. What happens when your phone is bombarded with anonymous AirDropped threats telling you to kill your date, or your family dies?

Writer-director Christopher Landon takes this eerily plausible premise and spins it into a tense, sometimes hilarious ride. Meghann Fahy shines as Violet, a domestic abuse survivor and single mother, dipping her toe in the dating pool. Her date, Henry (Brandon Sklenar), seems sweet. But when a message directs Violet to check her security cameras, revealing an intruder in her home threatening her son, the tension rockets, forcing her into an impossible choice.

ONE TO ONE

(15) 100mins

★★★★☆

You might think there's nothing left to know about The Beatles, but director Kevin Macdonald has found a surprisingly unknown and interesting angle about the life of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in New York, post-Beatles. While many might think they just lay in bed for attention, they were pretty busy. The film features recorded phone conversations from the time, interviews with those around John and Yoko, archive footage, and a recreation of their apartment.

Unintentionally hilarious moments include Bob Dylan having his bins rifled through and Yoko demanding live butterflies for her latest piece of art, but it also leaves you with plenty to think about. As well as a newfound respect for the woman who allegedly broke up The Beatles.