I was in north Austin earlier this week on business and went to see it one night out of shear boredom. It was the only movie on the marque that even looked remotely interesting. Old farmer pretty much nailed it. I can see where a lot of folks will not like it, but I found it to be entertaining though not spectacular...a solid 6 or 7 on a scale of 1 to 10.
There are quite a few similarities between the old "spaghetti westerns" and
The American. Here are a few...
1. Limited cast of obscure characters.
2. Remote setting.
3. Very little character development leading into the plot. Little is known or explained about many of the characters.
4. A protagonist that has a dark side.
5. A protagonist that has selfish motivations.
6. "Gritty" surroundings and characters.
7. Spiritual leaders (a priest in this case) who play supporting roles.
There's even one scene in the movie where Clooney is in a local bar or cafe and there appears to be a spaghetti western playing on the TV in the background and the bartender looks at Clooney and says (I think), "Sergio Leone". So, I think it's no accident that there are so many similarities between the film and the Italian Westerns.
That said, yeah I cringed when he referred to the Mini 14 as an M 14, but what I found refreshing was the lack of gratuitous gunfire, car chases, and massive explosions that plague so many films that they aren't even remotely realistic. If you like the old spaghetti westerns and can get past it being Clooney, you'll like it. If you don't like the genre or have never seen a spaghetti western, then you will be disappointed.
