I didn’t know action could be so slow till I watched The American. It is not snail pace slow, but slow none the less. So whereas the average action movie would leave you at the edge of your seat by time it ends, when The American ends, you will still be seated fully in your seat. And this doesn’t necessarily make it a bad movie but it could have used a little more speed.
Who wants to watch an action movie that you can look away from for three or five seconds and miss nothing? And this is probably because it is almost a sole act of Edward (George Clooney), an assassin who is forced to hide in Italy to finish one last assignment. While in Italy, Edward falls in love and almost at the same time figures out that the people helping him hide are the same people out to get him. This time he chooses not to run but instead face them.