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The Amateur

The Amateur

In a world of professional assassins, there is no room for an amateur.

19815.21h 52mR

Overview

A researcher for the CIA who convinces his superiors to send him to the eastern bloc in order to avenge the murder of his wife by enemy agents discovers a web of deception underneath his wife's death.

Directed by Charles Jarrott
Written by Diana Maddox, Robert Littell
Produced by Garth Drabinsky, Joel B. Michaels
Box OfficeBudget: $8.3MRevenue: $6.9M

Top Cast

John Savage

John Savage

Charles Heller

Christopher Plummer

Christopher Plummer

Professor Lakos

Marthe Keller

Marthe Keller

Elisabeth

Arthur Hill

Arthur Hill

Brewer

Nicholas Campbell

Nicholas Campbell

Schraeger

George Coe

George Coe

Rutledge

John Marley

John Marley

Molton

Jan Rubeš

Jan Rubeš

Kaplan

Ed Lauter

Ed Lauter

Anderson

Miguel Fernandes

Miguel Fernandes

Botaro

Trailer

Themes & Keywords

assassincentral intelligence agency (cia)murdered wife

About The Amateur

The Amateur is a action, crime, thriller film released in 1981 exploring themes of assassin, central intelligence agency (cia), murdered wife. Directed by Charles Jarrott, it stars John Savage, Christopher Plummer, Marthe Keller. A researcher for the CIA who convinces his superiors to send him to the eastern bloc in order to avenge the murder of his wife by enemy agents discovers a web of deception underneath his wife's death.

Movies Similar to The Amateur

Discover titles like The Amateur — ranked by similarity and community votes

We found 15 movies similar to The Amateur

If you enjoyed The Amateur, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of The Amateur.

RED
38% Match

RED(2010)

Movie6.7/10

After surviving an assault from a squad of hit men, retired CIA black ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team for an all-out war. Frank reunites with old Joe, crazy Marvin and wily Victoria to uncover a massive conspiracy that threatens their lives. Only their expert training will allow them to survive a near-impossible mission -- breaking into CIA headquarters.

The Equalizer 2
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Robert McCall, who serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed, embarks on a relentless, globe-trotting quest for vengeance when his former partner is murdered.

Mechanic: Resurrection
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Arthur Bishop thought he had put his murderous past behind him when his most formidable foe kidnaps the love of his life. Now he is forced to travel the globe to complete three impossible assassinations, and do what he does best, make them look like accidents.

Spy Game
31% Match

Spy Game(2001)

Movie6.9/10

On the day of his retirement, a veteran CIA agent learns that his former protégé has been arrested in China, is sentenced to die the next morning in Beijing, and that the CIA is considering letting that happen to avoid an international scandal.

Crank
30% Match

Crank(2006)

Movie6.7/10

Chev Chelios, a hit man wanting to go straight, lets his latest target slip away. Then he awakes the next morning to a phone call that informs him he has been poisoned and has only an hour to live unless he keeps adrenaline coursing through his body while he searches for an antidote.

The November Man
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An ex-CIA operative is brought back in on a very personal mission and finds himself pitted against his former pupil in a deadly game involving high level CIA officials and the Russian president-elect.

Canary Black
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Top level CIA agent Avery Graves is blackmailed by terrorists into betraying her own country to save her kidnapped husband. Cut off from her team, she turns to her underworld contacts to survive and help locate the coveted intelligence that the kidnappers want.

The Long Kiss Goodnight
22% Match

Samantha Caine is a small-town schoolteacher and mom with no memory of her life before washing up on a beach eight years ago. After a car accident and a violent home invasion trigger flashes of her past, she discovers she used to be a deadly CIA assassin. Teaming up with a wisecracking private investigator, Samantha must return to her old ways to take down the people who tried to erase her.

Avalanche Express
18% Match

CIA agent Harry Wargrave is sent to aid Gen. Marenkov, a senior Russian official, who is defecting to the west. Wargrave decides they should travel to safety on a train across Europe, the "Atlantic Express". During the journey, they must survive attacks by terrorists and an avalanche, all planned by Russian spy-catcher Nikolai Bunin.

F/X
18% Match

F/X(1986)

Movie6.6/10

A movies special effects man is hired by a government agency to help stage the assassination of a well known gangster. When the agency double cross him, he uses his special effects to trap the gangster and the corrupt agents.

Shade
18% Match

Shade(2003)

Movie6.2/10

Tiffany, Charlie and Vernon are con artists looking to up the ante from their typical scams. They figure a good way of doing this is taking down Dean "The Dean" Stevens, a well-known cardsharp, in a rigged game. However, they first need enough money to enter a game with Stevens, so they decide to strike a deal with fellow crook Larry Jennings to scam a local gangster -- which turns out to be a bad idea.