Rami Malek has spoken very highly about his co-star Caitríona Balfe in the new spy thriller that has everyone hooked, "The Amateur."
The movie, which hit Irish screens earlier this month, is adapted from Robert Littell's 1981 novel of the same name.
It follows Charles Heller (Rami Malek), a CIA cryptographer, who loses his wife during a terrorist attack in London. Upon realising his bosses won't act due to conflicting internal priorities, Heller embarks on a vigilante mission.
Having blackmailed the agency to train him as a field operative, he sets off on a one-man operation to hunt down his wife's killers. "The Amateur," starring our very own Caitríona Balfe, among many others, is exactly that, and has been lauded as 'everything you need from a spy thriller.'
Speaking with Irish Examiner, Rami expressed his admiration for Caitríona, stating, "She's extraordinary. I don't know if it's preparation or if it's just a natural gift, but there's the immediacy of how naturally, elegantly moving she can be and powerful in a way that you really can't look away from her."
Mesmerised by her talent, he said, "Sometimes it's hard to take your gaze off of her, because there's something that's coming from a depth of character, a depth of humanity, experience and talent, just a skill level. I loved those scenes."
Searching high and low for the right fit for the part the actor stated "I loved that character from the very beginning. We wanted to find someone who could execute at the highest level, and that proved itself in Caitríona, we got very fortunate."
Caitríona Balfe. (Getty Images)
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Cast
Rachel Brosnahan, known for her roles in the "Marvelous Mrs Maisel" and "House of Cards," also stars along the pair playing Sarah Horowitz, Charles' dead wife whom he is trying to avenge.
Laurence Fishburne takes on the role of Robert Henderson, Charles' boss in the CIA. Caitríona Balfe rounds off the star-studded cast with her role as Inquiline Davies.
What are people saying about it?
Through 51 critic reviews, The Amateur has scored an average of 67 percent on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer; but audiences seem to prefer it as it has a Popcornmeter rating of 87 percent.
One X user wrote: "The Amateur got everything you need from an action spy thriller, but instead of James Bond, you get Q as a hero. Some shady government agents, a mentor, and of course, Jon Bernthal and Michael Stuhlbarg appear out of nowhere."
Another penned: "The Amateur is a classic, old-school spy thriller. Rami Malek shines in a role that forces his character to use brains over brawn in an exciting story of revenge that does rely too heavily on the clichéd protagonist afflicted with Dead Wife Syndrome."
"The Amateur is a brilliant thriller with an unlikely hero (Rami Malek) who never fires a shot or takes out villains with his bare hands. It's unpredictable with surprises at every turn. You'll have to suspend belief that a CIA nerd could take out dangerous terrorists," another said.
As with everything, others disagreed, with one writing: "The Amateur should be a lot more entertaining than it ended up being. Has a handful of compelling scenes, but the sombre tone doesn’t support the sillier exploits of the plot. Malek is fine, and Fishburne brings a fun energy that should have been deployed more."
However, with such praise given by Rami for Caitríona, it is hard not to be curious to see her performance.
You can watch the full trailer for "The Amateur" below:
* This article was originally published on Evoke.ie.
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