It's definitely not based on the Henry James novel of the same name, much as Anton Corbijn's second feature does offer a creaky dialog between old and new world representatives, American assassin Jack, a.k.a., Edward Clark (George Clooney) and the priest (Paolo Bonacelli) of the small Italian village where the killer is hiding out. Despite the fact that there are a few picturesque locations announced by on-screen titles, The American is in some ways a James Bond film without the geographic and plot line ADHD. Most of the action, or deliberate lack thereof, takes place in one of those medieval Italian villages. What it really does is convincingly show the psychological repercussions of a life devoted to killing, something which the Bond franchise has at least touched upon since the arrival of Daniel Craig. But as a compensation, both Jack and James operate in a world in which most all of the women are ridiculously gorgeous...