Oscar winner takes on covert operation

When the topic of spy films comes up, what most often springs to mind are images of suave, highly skilled agents — such as James Bond with his famous Walther PPK pistol, or Ethan Hunt and the high-tech gadgets he uses to scale skyscrapers.

The Amateur, a new Hollywood spy thriller, presents a very different kind of Central Intelligence Agency agent — one who is sometimes clumsy, not even daring enough to pull the trigger.

The film, released on the Chinese mainland on April 11, is adapted from the 1981 novel of the same name by Robert Littell, an American writer who specializes in tales of espionage.

Featuring Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek as Charlie Heller, a talented CIA decoder and analyst with an intelligence quotient of over 170, the film begins with the tragic death of his wife Sarah, who is played by Rachel Brosnahan, in a London terrorist attack. After using his skills to swiftly uncover the perpetrators, Heller is frustrated to find that his superiors are refusing to act, forcing him to embark on a dangerous global manhunt to avenge her death.

Malek, who is most familiar to Chinese audiences for his role as singer Freddie Mercury in the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, tells China Daily during an online interview on April 9 that he was in Irish capital Dublin when he received a call inquiring about his future acting plans.

Recalling his portrayal of a cybersecurity engineer and hacker in the American television drama series Mr. Robot, Malek says he hoped to flex his muscles again in this genre.

"I thought I'd like to see an action film featuring someone with both a very high IQ and high emotional intelligence as well. That's what drew me to the story and the role. You don't often see those two qualities balanced in films, or even in real life," he explains.

In the film, it is intelligence, rather than physical prowess, that becomes Heller's main weapon. In one gripping scene, he confronts a man involved in his wife's murder. Instead of resorting to direct violence, Heller cleverly uses a remote device to shatter the glass of a suspended swimming pool — positioned 35 meters above the ground as a bridge between two buildings — sending the villain, who is taking a night swim, plummeting to his death.

For director James Hawes, it was a challenge to make changes to the original novel, which is set more than 40 years ago.

"The nature of espionage has changed dramatically. The whole political landscape has shifted. One example is that in the novel, most of the action takes place in Prague in today's Czech Republic, which was known as 'a city of spies' before the Iron Curtain came down. But that isn't the case anymore," Hawes tells China Daily.

Istanbul — a vibrant, historic city that straddles Europe and Asia — thus becomes the alternative setting for some of the most pivotal scenes.

"We wanted a city that feels more like it is on the edge of Europe …Istanbul is not often seen on screen. It's on the border between the East and West. It's just that bit more edgy, exotic and exciting," he says.

As an action-packed tentpole with a globe-trotting storyline, the film was also shot in London — the city's St. Pancras International train station features in the scene of Sarah's death — as well as in Paris and Marseille.

With scenes purportedly shot at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia — a location that has been featured numerous times in films and TV series — Hawes was careful with the details and employed security advisers throughout the production.

After learning that London has one of the highest densities of surveillance cameras per person in Europe — exemplified by data showing that the average person is photographed up to 300 times each day — Hawes says this fact makes one scene more credible. In it, the protagonist takes advantage of the extensive surveillance system by tampering with real-time footage, copying his face onto multiple individuals to create the illusion that he is in several locations at once.

When asked what he believes will be the film's most appealing element for Chinese cinemagoers, Hawes replies: "It's all about the power of the underdog. I think Rami did so well to show him (Heller) sometimes failing but always fighting back. I think audiences love an unexpected hero."