A breath of fresh air
I see a lot of people find the movie slow, dull, "euro" (as a derogatory word), and other things of that nature.
I on the other hand go in the completely different direction. The movies I enjoy most are the ones that give you time to reflect, to "feel" the movie. I guess I like 'cinema' better than 'movies'.
The American had a perfect soundtrack. The best soundtrack is the one that you hardly notice. This one was just that. Long beautiful sequences with nothing but the sound of feet on cobble stone. Wind, noises. The occational tune here and there that weaves into the picture. Perfect!
Clooney played Clooney, a bit darker. More introspective. He does it well I think, though others could do it better. Or it may be that I fail to realize and see what he does, the small nuances.
In any case, I much appreciated "The American". I found it perfectly paced, nicely filmed and with great sound to match.
Yes, there were flaws. I'm swedish myself and the magazine he recieves is filled with errors. Some scenes were really questionable. But on a whole, I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys CINEMA. For the action lovers, see "Shooter" again. Also a good movie, but in a different type of way.
It's like comparing Guns'N'Roses to Dire Straits.