The American

"Clooney may not have a hit this time, but he continues to apply considerable intelligence to his work as an actor, still trying to deliver something fresh and interesting for his fans" 

"Here is a gripping film with the focus of a Japanese drama (...) There is not a wrong shot. Every performance is tightly controlled. (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of four)" 

"The film from Dutch director Anton Corbijn is as meticulous, enigmatic, and restrained as its protagonist (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of four)"

 

"A bleak and atmospheric art-house thriller that's more of an aesthetic experience than an emotional one (...) If Robert Bresson (...) had directed a James Bond film, it might have turned out like this" 

"It's a tale so used, abused and broken you can hear it wheezing (...) scenes of harsh beauty (...) [Clooney] invests heart and soul in the role. (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of four)" 

"The movie is a paradox. It's ostentatiously restrained. You cannot say Corbijn lacks rigor. You can, however, say that when a talented director's approach too precisely mirrors the tightly calibrated performance strategy of his leading player, a movie risks stalling out completely (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of four)" 

"It is a reasonably skillful exercise in genre and style, a well-made vessel containing nothing in particular, though some of its features (...) are more evocative of the art house than of the multiplex"