Is The Amateur movie based on a true story? Details explored

Directed by James Hawes, the action-packed thriller movie The Amateur is set to be released in theaters on April 11, 2025. The movie follows Charles Heller, a CIA cryptographer and vigilante, as he embarks on a mission to track down his wife's killers. As he travels across the globe, he must outsmart trained operatives, navigate betrayal, and question the agency he once served.

The film features Rami Malek as Heller, and the supporting cast includes Rachel Brosnahan, Caitriona Balfe, Adrian Martinez, Laurence Fishburne, Holt McCallany, and Julianne Nicholson.

As for whether The Amateur is based on events in real life, no, it is not based on a true story. The movie is based on the 1981 novel written by Robert Littell. Both the film and book follow the same storyline, but the story is fictional.

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The Amateur: Exploring the storyline

The Amateur is based on the spy fiction novel of the same name by American author and former journalist Robert Littell. Charles Heller is a cryptographer working for the CIA, under the Decryption and Analysis Department. He specializes in all things virtual and coded and is a brilliant surveillance hacker.

After losing his wife in a London terrorist attack, Heller asks the CIA to help him take revenge on his wife's killers. The organization tells him that they will handle it; however, Heller is not satisfied and demands to be trained as a field operative and asks for a new identity. He says:

"I want to find and kill the people who murdered my wife."

To which his superiors reply:

"I don't think you could beat a 90-year old nun in an arm wrestling match."

Confirming their suspicions, Heller learns that he is not good with using a gun nor a pro in hand-to-hand combat. His training montages, filled with failure, make it clear that he doesn't have the killer instinct to be a traditional field operative. But during these attempts, Heller begins to tap into what makes him unique.

He soon realizes that he is not a man of action but one of planning. Heller uses various surveillance cameras across the globe to track down the criminals who murdered his wife, relying on his strengths of hacking. He creates handmade traps and contraptions that eliminate his targets, portraying the unconventional methods of digital warfare.

Heller uses digital loopholes and hidden camera feeds in every city, turning these resources into his weapons. He even rebels against the CIA, who tell him to end the mission, making the movie an intense, action-packed rollercoaster.

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Characters and cast of The Amateur

Academy Award winning actor Rami Malek takes up the lead role of Charles Heller. Rachel Brosnahan plays Sarah Horowitz, Heller's wife while Academy Award nominee Laurence Fishburne plays Heller's supervisor at the CIA.

Mentioned below is the full list of cast members who appear in the movie:

• Rami Malek as Charles Heller
• Rachel Brosnahan as Sarah Horowitz
• Laurence Fishburne as Robert Henderson
• Caitríona Balfe as Inquiline Davies
• Jon Bernthal as Jackson O'Brien
• Michael Stuhlbarg as Sean Schiller
• Holt McCallany as CIA Deputy Director Alex Moore
• Julianne Nicholson as Samantha O'Brien
• Adrian Martinez as Carlos
• Danny Sapani as Caleb Horowitz
• Takehiro Hira as The Professor
• Marc Rissmann as Mishka Blazhic
• Joseph Millson as Ellish
• Alice Hewkin as Ali Park

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Writers:

• Ken Nolan
• Gary Spinelli
• Robert Littell

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Producers

• Jonathan Hook
• Rami Malek
• Joel B. Michaels
• Hutch Parker
• Dan Wilson

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The Amateur will be released in theaters on April 11, 2025.