The American

The American is a 2010 American action thriller film directed by Anton Corbijn and starring George Clooney, Thekla Reuten, Violante Placido, Irina Björklund, and Paolo Bonacelli. Based on the 1990 novel A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth, it was loosely adapted to screenplay by Rowan Joffé. The film was released on September 1, 2010. It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $67 million worldwide. Plot Jack and his lover, Ingrid, are relaxing in Sweden. As they walk in the wilderness outside their cabin, Jack becomes alarmed by a trail of footprints in the snow and pulls Ingrid towards shelter. Sniper gunshots ring out. Ingrid sees Jack pull a gun from his pocket and shoot the sniper. With little hesitation, Jack also kills Ingrid before locating and killing another armed man. He flees to Rome and contacts a man named Pavel, who insists that Jack cannot stay in Rome. Pavel sends him to Castelvecchio, a small town in the mountains of Abruzzo. Jack becomes nervous, and disposing of the cell phone that Pavel gave him, goes to nearby Castel del Monte instead, where he now uses the name Edward. While in Abruzzo, Jack contacts Pavel, who sets him up with a job. He meets a woman named Mathilde, who wants him to build her a custom sniper rifle. A local priest named Father Benedetto takes notice of Jack, and befriends him. Jack also begins patronizing a local prostitute named Clara, and they begin a relationship. In the meantime, Jack suspects that he's being followed by a man, but he still meets with Mathilde in a secluded area next to a river to test the weapon. She is impressed by the craftsmanship, but asks Jack to make a few more adjustments to the rifle, and to provide her with specific types of ammunition before they complete their transaction.