‘The Amateur’: Can a CIA Cryptographer Become a Black Ops Agent?

Malek’s movie niche involves physically frail men with scary levels of grit and determination, so this story, while unrealistic, is something he can sell well.

Charlie Heller (Remi Malek), in "The Amateur." 20th Century Studios

PG-13 | 2h 3m | Thriller | 2025

“The Amateur” is a remake of a 1981 movie of the same name, based on a novel by Robert Littell. It’s about a scrawny CIA codebreaker named Charlie Heller (Oscar-winner Rami Malek). Seeking vengeance against a group of international terrorists that killed his wife Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan), he takes matters into his own hands. He attempts to reinvent himself as a black ops agent and goes off the reservation.