THE AMATEUR
(12A) 123mins    
★★★☆☆
AFTER losing wife Sarah in a devastating terrorist attack in , introverted CIA codebreaker Charlie Heller (Rami Malek) is consumed by grief and rage.
When the investigation stalls and his superior refuses to let him pursue the attackers, Heller takes matters into his own hands.
What follows is a tense but uneven spy thriller that benefits from some decent performances, but struggles to offer much originality.
Directed by James Hawes, The Amateur sets up an intriguing premise. Heller isn’t a highly trained assassin, he’s an intelligence specialist, a man more comfortable behind a computer than in the field.
Lacks intensity
His transformation into an unlikely vigilante makes this compelling, if clichéd.
Sadly, the Bohemian Rhapsody star appears somewhat out of his element in this role, highlighting his limitations within the action-thriller genre.
The script follows a well-worn revenge-thriller formula. The action sequences, though well executed, lack the raw, visceral intensity of similar films.
The pacing also stumbles at times — after a gripping first act, the middle portion drags and is bogged down by exposition and repetitive encounters with shadowy informants, corrupt officials, and an array of villains.
Jon Bernthal’s brief appearances as Jackson “the Bear”; O’Brien feel strangely inconsequential. It’s hard to understand his casting in such a minor role, unless it’s a set-up for a sequel.
One of the interesting elements is the presence of Laurence Fishburne as Robert Henderson, Heller’s CIA trainer.
Henderson’s role is ambiguous — he’s both a mentor and an obstacle, offering guidance while keeping Heller on a tight leash.
Fishburne brings a commanding presence, arming Henderson with a mix of fatherly wisdom and cold pragmatism. It’s never clear where his loyalties lie, and this adds a layer of tension.
The shines in its quieter moments. Heller’s struggle with grief and the psychological toll of his mission are handled with nuance.
The Amateur is a solid thriller that falls short of greatness. It’s worth seeing for the action, but is let down by predictable storytelling and Malek’s less than convincing delivery.
Still, I’d be lying if I said I was bored.
LINDA MARRIC
DROP
(15) 100mins
★★★★☆
A SUCCESSFUL thriller understands the assignment: stay sharp, remain focused and deliver a constant stream of tension.
And this latest offering from outfit Blumhouse Productions manages that perfectly.
What happens when your phone is bombarded with anonymous AirDropped threats telling you to kill your date, or your family dies?
Writer-director Christopher Landon takes this eerily plausible premise and spins it into a tense, sometimes hilarious ride.
Meghann Fahy shines as Violet, a survivor and single mother, dipping her toe in the dating pool. Her date, Henry (Brandon Sklenar), seems sweet.
But when a message directs Violet to check her security cameras, revealing an intruder in her home threatening her son, the tension rockets, forcing her into an impossible choice.
As the night escalates, so does the paranoia, twisting a simple dinner date into a fight for survival. Though some text-on-screen moments feel clunky, Drop remains fun and gripping.
Fahy’s performance anchors the film, while Landon keeps the momentum relentless.
ONE TO ONE
(15) 100mins
★★★★☆
YOU might think there’s nothing left to know about , but director Kevin Macdonald has found a surprisingly unknown and interesting angle about the life of and Yoko Ono in , post-Beatles.
While many might think they just lay in bed for attention, they were pretty busy.
Having both decided to reject the luxury life, they bunked up in a two-bedroom flat in Greenwich Village and became political activists.
They put together the One to One benefit for disabled kids, having seen a distressing about how they were treated in America.
The film features recorded phone conversations from the time, interviews with those around John and Yoko, archive footage and a recreation of their apartment.
Unintentionally hilarious moments include having his bins rifled through and Yoko demanding live butterflies for her latest piece of art, but it also leaves you with plenty to think about.
As well as a newfound respect for the woman who allegedly broke up The Beatles.
