American Assassin Movie Review

The world is a blur. You hear panting, screaming, and you are completely immersed in the crumbling world of Mitch Rapp, a 25-year-old young man caught in the middle of a terrorist attack. Mere seconds after proposing to his girlfriend Katrina, his entire world is turned around by a couple of terrorists with guns. 18 months following the incident, we pick back up with Mitch, who has made it his personal agenda to take out all of the terrorists one by one, at any cost.

Based on the 2010 novel by the late Vince Flynn, American Assassin is an action thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Flynn started the book series back in the 90’s, and director Michael Cuesta took on the challenge of translating Mitch into the present day. We follow Mitch and the Orion Team around the globe as they try to thwart the terrorist plans of a former team member.

Mitch Rapp’s sharp transition is reflective of the transition that Dylan O’Brien has made in his acting career. We begin with a caring, love-struck Mitch to that of a driven, badass killer out for vengeance.

Starting out doing comedy on YouTube and on small projects such as Sweety High and High Road, Dylan has ascended to the leading role in action movies such as The Maze Runner and most recently, American Assassin. Dylan has shown he is no longer a small screen sidekick, he is now more than capable of carrying multiple movie franchises on his own.

Michael Keaton shines as Stan Hurley, the leader of the Orion squad. A snarky, ex- Navy SEAL instructor, he keeps Mitch grounded in the idea that he can’t make things personal. Ironically, the entire situation is more personal to Stan than he lets on. It was all initiated by his former star pupil Ghost, played by Taylor Kitsch.

Ghost is a former Orion member that was captured, tortured, and left for dead during a mission in Aleppo. He takes his betrayal and formulates a plan for revenge on those that did him wrong, not unlike the one that Mitch had planned for himself.

The movie sets up a character that I can see Dylan O’Brien really growing into if given the chance.

While this may be the first you’ve heard of Mitch Rapp, it certainly won’t be the last.

 

You can catch American Assassin at a theater near you this Friday, September 15th.