‘THE AMATEUR’ RATED PG-13

The television series “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” transformed John Krasinski’s titular character from a CIA analyst working from the safe position of a desk job into dangerous field assignments that go with the territory of an espionage thriller.

The premise of this type of work-related transition in the spy world is hardly new, but along comes “The Amateur” to offer its own twist of thrusting, and in this case under unusual circumstances, a deskbound introverted CIA decoder into an international pursuit of ruthless killers.

Charlie Heller (Rami Malek), a brilliant but socially awkward decryption and analysis expert, is confined to a basement office at Langley where he works alone and sequestered from interaction with other colleagues.

A man enjoying a bucolic lifestyle in a lovely farmhouse, Charlie is blissfully in love with his wife Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan), who gifted him with a vintage plane he’s working to restore.

Loathe to travel far from home, Charlie decides not to join Sarah on her trip to a conference in London. Tragically, she’s taken hostage during a terrorist attack and meets a horrible fate.

After returning to work, Charlie is summoned by his superior, Deputy Director Moore (Holt McCallany), to the office of CIA Director O’Brien (Julianne Nicholson), where a viewing of gruesome video footage reveals the senseless murder of his wife.

Unable to face a life without his beloved spouse, Charlie decides to avenge her death by going after three killers, an understandable course of action that gets stonewalled by Director Moore and his colleague Caleb (Danny Sapani).

Given the shadowy world of espionage, it seems like more than bureaucratic roadblocks may impede Charlie’s path, but he knows enough inside secrets to blackmail superiors into getting field training from veteran agent Robert Henderson (Laurence Fishburne) to hunt down the assassins on his own.

Charlie doesn’t have the physical skills or killer instinct of James Bond. He proves inept at shooting or fighting. But fearing a nefarious motive by his superiors, Charlie decides to go rogue and run off with a bunch of fake passports to attempt his mission.

Utilizing intelligence talents gathered from work, Charlie also taps into the dark web where the mysterious Inquiline (Caitriona Balfe) assists in his journey to Paris, Marseille, Istanbul and other exotic locations in his search.

Ingenuity works well for Charlie, and sometimes amusingly as when he employs a video tutorial on how to pick locks to break into an apartment. One of the best scenes in the movie, also featured in the trailer, is the dramatic pool-collapse on a high-rise glass bridge.

While the climactic confrontation on the Baltic Sea lacks plausibility, “The Amateur” does benefit from Rami Malek’s quirky performance of a novice field agent out of his depth but driven by vengeance to make it interesting.



‘DROP’ RATED PG-13

Have we become slaves to our smartphones? That’s not the question asked in the thriller “Drop,” but it may be one to take into consideration if you are on a first date at a fancy restaurant and your cell phone turns from an annoyance to a serious threat with a lot of memes.

That’s the situation for Violet (Meghann Fahy), a widowed mother of a young boy on her first date in years, who arrives at an upscale Chicago restaurant where she first meets the helpful, pleasant bartender Cara (Gabrielle Ryan Spring).

She encounters an older man named Richard (Reed Diamond), who she’s relieved to find out is waiting for another blind date that is not her. At this point, she’s still waiting for Henry (Brandon Sklenar), who has texted he’s running late.

When Henry arrives, they are seated at a table with a fabulous skyline view and served by overly talkative waiter Matt (Jeffrey Self), who’s obviously waiting for his next theatrical audition.

Charming and handsome, Henry turns out to have a pleasant personality and attentive demeanor. He will soon be put to the test for patience when Violet starts getting a stream of text messages.

Violet’s son Toby (Jacob Robinson) has been left in the care of her younger sister Jen (Violett Beane). Nervous enough for going out for the evening while Toby is at home, Violet’s evening takes a dark turn when someone starts sending “drops” to her phone.

What starts off as irritating interruptions during dinner for Violet turns incrementally more sinister. The “drops” deliver messages growing from annoying to menacing, soon insisting that she will have to kill Henry or else an intruder, appearing in video on her phone, will slay her son.

The “drops,” which operate on a short radius, indicate the messages are coming from someone in the restaurant. This heightens the tension because she’s constantly warned not to call the police or seek help from anyone.

The paranoia is ramped up in this bizarre cat-and-mouse game as Violet nervously checks everyone in the room. What about the guy constantly texting on his phone while waiting for his guest? There are plenty of red herrings to at least keep “Drop” interesting.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.