American Assassin

September 15, 2017

Jays Rating:
Actors: /

Based on one of many books by Vince Flynn, the action thriller American Assassin highlights the adventures of CIA agent Mitch Rapp. Twenty-three-year-old Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien) witnesses the murder of his fiancé and many others during a terrorist attack. He is so consumed with rage, he maneuvers his way into the terrorist group with the intent of killing them all. Ironically, it seems Mitch is a natural with foreign languages, has accuracy and skill with any type of firearm, and the uncanny ability to blend into any group. His exploits are brought to the attention of CIA Deputy Director, Irene Kennedy (Sanna Latsan) who asks Mitch to join the CIA counter-terrorism group to go undercover and track down terrorists. He is trained by cold war veteran, Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton) who teaches him the many ways to kill people. (I don’t think he needed any help.) A terrorist called the Ghost (Taylor Kitsch) attempts to start World War III with a nuclear device, so Mitch teams up with Turkish agent Annika (Shiva Negar) to stop him at any cost. (We wouldn’t expect anything less.) I have been looking forward to this film for months because I am an avid reader of the Mitch Rapp series. (Yes, audiobooks.) Dylan O’Brien is perfect as the out of control Mitch Rapp and Michael Keaton shines when he is on screen. The plot is simple, the action is exactly what you would expect in a film with the name assassin in it, and you don’t have to worry about being confused with multiple plot twists. (Just what I like about the books.) Yes, it’s formulaic with the obligatory double agent, the bomb countdown, and the rogue agent who doesn’t follow orders. (Mitch doesn’t follow instructions, but everything always works out.) I don’t care that this film lacks originality. I really enjoyed it along with my wife and I’m giving it a B rating.

This movie has been given an R rating by the MPAA

Although I am blind, I can appreciate a good movie as well as sighted individuals. I rely more on a good storyline than special effects.