Movie Review: American Assassin
Mitch (Dylan O'Brien, The Maze Runner) just got engaged to his girlfriend while on a tropical vacation, and couldn't be happier. However, terrorists soon storm the beach, and his girlfriend is murdered; Mitch escapes with his life, but barely. After that, he starts training to take down terrorist cells, one by one, but is soon intercepted by the CIA, who wants him to join their secret counter-terrorism group. His handler, Irene (Sanaa Lathan) and his trainer, Stan (Michael Keaton), soon show him what life is like in the CIA - however, Mitch is very stubborn and doesn't like to follow orders, which could prove to be a problem.
Before the last 1/3 of this movie, I was going to say that this was kind of a "blah" role for Keaton - he's played much stranger characters - but then a few things happen that made me rescind that statement. O'Brien, Keaton, and Lathan are all good in their roles, as is Shiva Negar, as another agent, and Taylor Kitsch as "Ghost," the bad guy of the film. I will say I was checking my watch a few times throughout the movie, but the ending is very good, and will keep your eyes glued to the screen.
Yes, see this movie. I still think it could have been better, but as far as action movies go, it has all of the essential elements for a hit. It was nice to see O'Brien back on the screen, as I'm a fan of The Maze Runner series, and I usually love Keaton in all of his film roles. If you're looking for a movie that will keep you thinking about it even after you exit the theater, this is not that movie; however, if you're looking for a fun action movie that will keep you entertained during its runtime, this would fit the bill.
American Assassin is in theaters today, September 15th, and is rated R with a runtime of 111 minutes. 3.5 stars out of 5.
