The Amateur
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: April 11, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
22
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzApr 10, 2025
It is respectful and smooth filmmaking that never loses sight of its one and only goal: keeping its audience hooked. Read full review
75
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezApr 11, 2025
At the very least, the skillful film generally doesn’t insult the audiences intelligence and generally is a lot smarter and sharper than most mainstream moves in cineplexes these days. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMichael OrdoñaApr 8, 2025
The result is a genre entry that avoids the missteps of so many spy movies — the superhero protagonist, the mission not being compelling, relying too much on action sequences and predictable betrayals. Instead, it invests in its world, its relationships, and its premise. Read full review
70
The Daily BeastNick SchagerApr 8, 2025
Unsurprising from start to finish and yet proficiently executed thanks to its impressive cast, it’s the definition of serviceable. Read full review
70
IGNEric GoldmanApr 8, 2025
It mixes the throwback feel of an old-school spy story with an engaging scenario about a tech-savvy CIA analyst thrust into the field for decidedly dark reasons. The direction and a strong cast help sell this vibe and make for an entertaining time, even if it comes to a less-than-satisfying conclusion. Read full review
70
ColliderJeff EwingApr 8, 2025
The film is at its best when Heller is executing novel kills or blackmailing his bosses, and we're given just enough of those adrenaline-pumping scenes to make it all work together well. The Amateur strikes that delicate balance often (though not universally), but it works well enough when it counts, for an outing worth seeing. Read full review
70
Screen RantTatiana HullenderApr 8, 2025
Yes, Charlie Heller (a brilliant Rami Malek) spends an appropriate amount of time dreaming up memories of his beautiful wife Sarah (an underutilized Rachel Brosnahan), but the screenplay by Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli offers plenty more than the usual setup of a man hulking out over a woman's death. Read full review
65
SlashfilmJeremy MathaiApr 8, 2025
The film is undeniably at its best when grappling with the push and pull of technology versus old-school espionage. Read full review
63
Washington PostJen YamatoApr 11, 2025
The Amateur may be off to a rocky start as a spy franchise, but it scores one for the IT crowd. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 11, 2025
The Amateur may be a mixed-bag of coincidences, not-quite-plausible technological traps and narrow escapes, and a tad old fashioned feeling in this post-justice/post-accountability world. But Malek keeps us invested and interested in this quest. Read full review
63
The Associated PressLindsey BahrApr 8, 2025
The Amateur has a lot going for it -- but it takes also takes a while to get going. Once it does, it can’t quite maintain a level of energy and suspense needed to justify its runtime. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineGregory NussenApr 8, 2025
The Amateur is a relaxed and pleasurable throwback to the spy pulp of the 1970s and ’80s, yet told with a (mostly) honest appraisal of the C.I.A.’s ethical failings. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeApr 14, 2025
James Hawes, who directed the entire first season of Slow Horses, clearly knows his way around the spy genre. Which is why this disjointed thriller about a brilliant CIA code cracker turned elite operative (Rami Malek) delivers at least some pacy thrills and globe-hopping intrigue, despite numerous issues with the screenplay, structure and casting. Read full review
60
TimeStephanie ZacharekApr 11, 2025
If The Amateur is unremarkable, it’s also efficient and effective, and sometimes all you need is a movie that gets the job done. Read full review
60
The TelegraphRobbie CollinApr 11, 2025
Nothing about the plot or craft astounds, but the qualities above are all far rarer in studio movies these days than they should be, which makes The Amateur remarkable – in its own stonily workmanlike way. Read full review
60
EmpireAmon WarmannApr 8, 2025
Operating with more of a steady pulse than a full-on thrill-ride, this revenge flick exchanges fists for brains with only decent results. Read full review
60
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyApr 8, 2025
We’ve seen all this before, but at least The Amateur finds its own way to get the job done. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyApr 8, 2025
The thing about James Hawes’ film of the 1981 Robert Littell novel is that while it prompts raised eyebrows with the contrivances of its plotting and the seeming ease with which the underestimated protagonist outwits everyone, it at least looks and feels like a real movie. Read full review
60
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiApr 8, 2025
Its baseline competence is perfectly watchable. It’s just hard to imagine anyone signing onto this project with the explicitly stated goal of only making it watchable. Read full review
60
Time OutPhil de SemlyenApr 8, 2025
Malek’s twitchy brand of anti-charm makes him an unusual lead for a film like this, and his outsider energy works better as the tormented killer-to-be than the doting husband. Heller is not always easy to root for, which can make The Amateur a chilly experience. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerApr 8, 2025
It’s not that The Amateur explores moral gray areas; it just swirls generic and weirdly apolitical spy-movie elements around until all that’s left is a watery blur, accidentally paying faithful tribute to studio mediocrities past. Read full review
58
IndieWireDavid EhrlichApr 8, 2025
An aggressively competent spy thriller that has less use for logic than its lead actor does for his smile, this globe-trotting Robert Littell adaptation would have us believe that no one is more dangerous than a math nerd who refuses to think of himself as a killer, and the film makes a compelling enough case to sustain itself across the entire television season’s worth of plot that it packs into two hours. Read full review
50
Rolling StoneDavid FearApr 11, 2025
Only a hair overlong at two hours, this is the kind of disposable airport spy thriller that Hollywood rarely makes anymore, and which generally plays fine, maybe best, on cable over a lazy Saturday afternoon. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliApr 11, 2025
This is yet another early 2025 movie where there’s just enough material in the film to assemble an intriguing three-minute trailer but not enough to make the other 120 minutes of more than passing interest. Read full review
50
ABC NewsPeter TraversApr 11, 2025
It’s a promising premise—a nerdy CIA decoder (Rami Malek) turns unlikely action hero when his wife (Rachel Brosnahan) is murdered by terrorists—but the movie promises more than it delivers in terms of suspense, escalating tension and a reason for being. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsApr 10, 2025
Just when movie theaters don’t need another one, The Amateur comes along to join the roster of 2025 releases that lack the knack, the juice and exciting reasons for theatergoers to theater-go. Read full review
50
The New York TimesAlissa WilkinsonApr 10, 2025
It felt a bit like the life was draining away from the movie the longer it went on — as if this was more of an imitation of a good movie than an actually good movie. (The technical name for this among critics is a “nothingburger.”) Read full review
50
VarietyOwen GleibermanApr 8, 2025
It can seem churlish to complain that an undercover thriller is mission: implausible, but much of what happens in The Amateur seems…arbitrary. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Alison WillmoreApr 8, 2025
Malek keeps trying to find the emotional center and dignity of a character who’s pure pulp, and while it’s an admirable effort, it’s also jarringly unsuited to the movie. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonApr 8, 2025
The climax of The Amateur is one of the least satisfying meetings of hero and villain I’ve seen in a while. Read full review
40
Little White LiesDavid JenkinsApr 11, 2025
Malek’s icy performance does little to endear the viewer to Charlie, while his ultra-tactile relationship with his wife – presented in gauzy flashbacks – never feels entirely authentic. Read full review
40
The TimesKevin MaherApr 11, 2025
It would be funny if it weren’t so dull and so strangely played by Malek, an actor who seemingly believes that a complex internal life is best illustrated by hyperactive facial muscles and the blinkless stare of a sullen zombie. Read full review
40
Screen DailyTim GriersonApr 8, 2025
The Amateur mostly tries to upend genre conventions without offering anything exciting in their place. Read full review
40
The GuardianPeter BradshawApr 8, 2025
As for Malek’s performance, his line readings and screen presence are very distinctive, but I have to say the moments when he has to present anguished emotion to the camera do not quite work, and feel eccentric. Read full review
38
The Seattle TimesKatie WalshApr 11, 2025
While the film’s execution seems expert on the surface, the internal narrative design is unfortunately ham-handed and woefully dull. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoApr 8, 2025
The Amateur skims the surface of what has worked in spy thrillers of the past, never finding its own rhythm, identity, or personality. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithApr 11, 2025
Mr. Malek is incapable of providing the audience with an emotional hook. Read full review
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