Film Review – American Assassin

Director Michael Cuesta used to tell human stories. He was once interested in the pains of adolescence (“L.I.E.”), maturity (“Roadie”), and professionalism (“Kill the Messenger”), but that style of filmmaking doesn’t pay the bills. Cuesta now graduates to nondescript studio work with “American Assassin,” which intends to adapt a 2010 Vince Flynn novel for the big screen (the first Mitch Rapp adventure in a 16 book series), but doesn’t offer much literary substance, charging ahead as graphic revenge thriller that’s certainly visceral, but also brain dead. Cuesta discards nuance and tries to keep up with the B-movie technicians who normally helm this type of junk food entertainment, and the change doesn’t suit him. He doesn’t know what he’s doing with “American Assassin,” staging unappealing action and encouraging one-dimensional performances, tasked with establishing a new spy game franchise, only to come up short in almost every possible way.  Read the rest at Blu-ray.com