I know that the book series that this is adapting from has a lot of fans, but I have to ask, can this story get any more generic? I don't know how deep or complex the Mitch Rapp series of books goes, but how is this movie adaptation suppose to stand out when it comes off as being so derivative to what's already out there? Show me something that makes "American Assassin" stand out. Whether it be some amazingly shot action sequence, or some dramatic moments that defines the strength of the characters. I didn't really get any of that.
As an action thriller, this fills in all the necessary check points for the genre. From the gritty origin story, the globe trotting settings, the competently made action sequences, or the predictable plot tropes, everything just feels adequately mediocre. Besides a few ridiculous plot decisions that took me out of the story, this movie is technically not horrible. I couldn't call it boring as there were some excitement, and I couldn't call it uninteresting as there were some intriguing things that happen. However, it was all just so bland.
Dylan O'Brien does fit the role of a serious, no-nonsense, lives by his own rules, action hero, but unfortunately his character doesn't really offer that much more to stand out among other action heroes in other movies. He's a little too two dimensional for my taste. Michael Keaton is a good choice as the serious, no-nonsense, lives by his own rules, mentor of action heroes, but unfortunately his character also doesn't really offer that much more to stand out among other mentors of action heroes in other movies. There were moments Keaton gets to shine "being Michael Keaton," but it only made me wish that his character was instead the main focus of this movie. Yes, there are other supporting casts of characters, but they once again don't really stand out that much.
Maybe the other books in the series would have made a more compelling movie than the one they adapted here? Maybe this is once again one of those cases where it might have been better if this series of novels were adapted as a TV series instead? Maybe they should have just made a better movie than what "American Assassin" turned out to be?
loveditenjoyedititsokay IT'S MEH itsterrible
