Thekla Reuten Archives - The Playlist

‘Marionette’ Review: A Compelling Thriller That Can’t Stick the Landing

Christian Gallichio — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 18:58:45 +0000

Essentially acting as a feature-length riff on The Twilight Zone’s “It’s a Good Life,’ co-writer/director Elbert van Strien’s “Marionette” — which takes its title quite literally — is a moody Scotland-based thriller concerning a young boy who claims that he can control individuals thoughts and actions. Featuring a confident performance from newcomer Elijah Wolf, “Marionette” is a bit less than the sum of its individual parts.

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Review: ‘The American’ Finds An Assassin Losing His Religion In Anton Corbijn’s Spare, Engaging Anti-Thriller

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:00:00 +0000

Minimalist, understated, monastic and punctuated by unnerving stretches of silence, Anton Corbijn’s “The American” is an anti-thriller, and an admirable one, in the sense that it bucks almost every convention of the modern day (irony alert) American thriller.

Disquietingly spare and ardently refusing to engage in exposition of any kind, the muted picture will likely reward the patient (and perceptive) audience and alienate those only fluent in modern film grammar. This is not a picture for mass consumption, nor is it one masquerading as anything else.

Continue reading Review: ‘The American’ Finds An Assassin Losing His Religion In Anton Corbijn’s Spare, Engaging Anti-Thriller at The Playlist.

New ’70s-Esque Poster For ‘The American’ Starring George Clooney

Edward Davis — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:59:00 +0000

Man, get your “Parallax View,” or “Three Days Of The Condor
” on, huh?

The new poster for Anton Corbijn’s “The American” has surfaced along with the film’s official synopsis. The film stars George Clooney as a hitman trying to do one last job in Italy before he retires, but romantic entanglements make it difficult for him to exit his clandestine vocation. We saw the trailer last month and now this great looking, ’70s-styled poster has arrived and the official synopsis.

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Anton Corbijn’s ‘The American’ Is Complete, Ready For Test Screenings

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:04:00 +0000

Good news for those of you — like us — who appreciate the mid-budgeted adult drama (please don’t go the way of the dodo bird). The Anton Corbijn-directed, Rowan Joffe-penned suspense thriller “The American”is locked and ready for test screenings according to Corbijn himself (via Rope of Silicon). In case you’ve forgotten this one, we’ve covered “The American” several times in the past, when it was still titled“A Very Private Gentleman.” Based on the novel by Martin Booth, the film stars George Clooney as an assassin hiding out in Italy, biding time for a final hit while taking on a false identity as a painter.

Continue reading Anton Corbijn’s ‘The American’ Is Complete, Ready For Test Screenings at The Playlist.

Anton Corbijn Starts A Blog For ‘The American,’ Features Images From Shoot

Jon Davies — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:28:00 +0000

The last time we heard of Ian Curtis-biopic “Control” director Anton Corbijn’s second feature, its name had been changed from the original title of Martin Booth’s novel “A Very Private Gentleman” to “The American.” Now, courtesy of Mr. Corbijn himself, we have a few updates thanks to a new blog he has started chronicling the post-production stages of the film.

The blog, which has only one entry since its creation in January, reveals that most of the film was shot in Venice and around Italy last fall and the beginning of the film is now being shot in Sweden with leading man George Clooney.

Continue reading Anton Corbijn Starts A Blog For ‘The American,’ Features Images From Shoot at The Playlist.

Anton Corbijn’s ‘Gentleman’ With George Clooney Changes Title To ‘The American’

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:08:00 +0000

Most of this is old information, but several publications are treating this like it’s a new story for some reason. Be wary of those that fall hook line and sinker for the press release.

Back in May it was announced that Anton Corbijn, whose debut feature film was the Joy Division biopic, “Control,” would direct “A Very Private Gentleman,” for Focus Features, with George Clooney in the lead role.

This is still the case, only now the film, a Rowan Joffe adaptation of a Martin Booth novel, is now imaginatively called, “The American.”

It’s essentially a “creepy psychological suspense” story that follows an assassin (Clooney) “to a rural village in southern Italy where he poses as… a quiet artist who paints miniatures of butterflies and has traveled to the area to capture a unique native specimen.” He has one more assignment to carry out, but of course romantic entanglements and local friendships complicate his task.

Continue reading Anton Corbijn’s ‘Gentleman’ With George Clooney Changes Title To ‘The American’ at The Playlist.