American Assassin
Lionsgate | Release Date: September 15, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
16
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiSep 14, 2017
Immensely satisfying action thriller. Read full review
70
New York Daily NewsAllen SalkinSep 13, 2017
An international action thriller that starts slow but picks up speed and just outruns its own clichés to make for a gripping two-hour ride. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenSep 13, 2017
Built for action, like its title character, the movie packs a muscular, bloody punch, but mainly it’s a well-oiled diversion. Read full review
68
IGNAlex WelchSep 14, 2017
American Assassin has some of the more terrifying, brutal, and visceral action sequences to be seen on the big screen so far this year. But the film can’t ever quite manage to maintain the same momentum or intensity as its opening act, thanks to a lackluster climax and sudden left-turn into full blown absurdity. Read full review
65
TheWrapTodd GilchristSep 13, 2017
For those without strong feelings for the Harrison Ford-era Clancy adaptations, which were polished but largely unmemorable, American Assassin works best as a little-league version of one of those or, in more contemporary terms, as an unsurprising origin story for what the filmmakers obviously hope is the beginning of a franchise. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzSep 15, 2017
An action film, a spy thriller, a meditation on revenge, and a story about mentors and pupils, but mostly it's a movie that loves to maim and kill people and is very good at it. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter TraversSep 15, 2017
Gorgeously shot by Enrique Chediak, American Assassin may be too slick for its own good, but O'Brien cuts deep enough to make you root for a Rapp franchise. That's saying something. Read full review
63
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenSep 14, 2017
Director Michael Cuesta and a platoon of credited screenwriters have dutifully checked all the usual spy-thriller boxes but bring nothing new to the party. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranSep 14, 2017
American Assassin is a serviceable, workman-like thriller that makes the familiar as involving as its going to get. It demonstrates that even Jason Bourne lite is better than no Bourne at all, if you're in the mood. Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. ScottSep 14, 2017
The movie, directed by Michael Cuesta from a script by a team of blue-chip writers (Stephen Schiff and Michael Finch are credited, along with Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz), shows more skill than personality. Read full review
60
Total FilmJames MottramSep 12, 2017
From the generic title to the formulaic plot (stolen plutonium, highest bidder etc.), you can imagine the rest. But director Michael Cuesta (Kill the Messenger) injects vitality where it’s needed. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeSep 14, 2017
It’s paper-thin, predictable, and goofy as hell, but if you can get past the whole “pro-military propaganda” thing, it’s pretty fun in the moment. Read full review
58
IndieWireJamie RighettiSep 13, 2017
In American Assassin, the violence is surprising and brutal. However, its impact is stymied by a predictable script and action sequences that feel like a watered-down version of “John Wick.” Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyDevan CogganSep 17, 2017
As Hurley and Rapp race against the terrorists, the plot is too dumb to be taken seriously and too self-serious to be any fun. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliSep 17, 2017
The story is so obvious that a viewer could leave the theater for fifteen minutes and not be even a little lost upon his return. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreSep 15, 2017
American Assassin is a Big Action Beats formula thriller that overstays its welcome and never quite gels around its hunky young star, allowing Michael Keaton to steal the movie out from under him. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperSep 14, 2017
Unwise casting choices in two key roles. Increasingly ludicrous plot developments — even for a slick, escapist thriller. Dubious science about the potency of a nuclear warhead. Intellectually lazy pop psychology, much of it heavy on the daddy issues, as character motivation. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubSep 14, 2017
Cuesta’s direction is all blunt objects, like a doctor performing surgery with a plastic fork from Burger King. But he shines in the more testosterone-charged scenes, including the opening terrorist attack with its tracking shots above and below water. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaSep 14, 2017
It gallops along quickly enough to keep us entertained, but not so quickly that we can’t see the seams of its creaky American Hero setup. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTom RussoSep 13, 2017
Trouble is, the movie’s dopiness isn’t in fact something you can get past. “American Assasinine” is frequently more like it. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenSep 20, 2017
Cinematographer Enrique Chediak (28 Weeks Later, The Good Girl) delivers crisp images, and the climactic underwater nuclear explosions are really something to behold. But director Michael Cuesta (Kill the Messenger, L.I.E.) adds little of notice to the proceedings. Read full review
40
Time Out LondonAnna SmithSep 15, 2017
This gets an extra point for an exciting action finale, but loses several for a hero who may try your patience well before then. Read full review
40
VarietyAmy NicholsonSep 13, 2017
O’Brien could grow into the role. He has an earnest, high voice — perhaps the reason he’s barely allowed to speak — and shines in the rare scenes where he gets to show personality, as do Keaton and Kitsch when they put down their guns.... It’d be more fun to watch the three actors swap war stories over beers than batter each other — especially when their worst enemy is the script’s coma-inducing machismo. Read full review
40
EmpireJonathan PileSep 13, 2017
An uneven thriller that would have been better served aiming for a lighter tone. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsSep 14, 2017
Despite the actors hired to deliver the story, the superassassin of American Assassin isn’t quite human. He’s just revenge in a henley T. Read full review
30
Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaSep 14, 2017
It's all-around generic, made notable by its weirdly schizophrenic tone. Sometimes it strives to be a character-driven thriller in the Jason Bourne mold. In other moments, it goes for over-the-top action and violence. But it's never very exciting. Read full review
25
ConsequenceRandall ColburnSep 14, 2017
American Assassin never transcends the exploitation at its core. Read full review
20
The GuardianMike McCahillSep 14, 2017
The malfunctioning studio system has foisted many subprime ideas upon us recently, but this opportunistic, Trump-age hybrid of war-on-terror drama and YA fantasy numbers among the junkiest. Read full review
20
The TelegraphRobbie CollinSep 13, 2017
American Assassin seems to have a certain target audience in mind, and it’s probably not one you’d want to be considered a part of. Read full review
12
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorSep 14, 2017
This movie is not just badly executed, it's also stupid. Read full review
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