Jack is at the end of ‘The American‘ once more in the hunt game — but now, he is the hunted. The film is based on Martin Booth’s 1990 novel ‘A Very Private Gentleman’. George Clooney plays a professional killer sent to rural Italy, where he lives a secret double life as a photographer. Jack’s existence is one of tragedy. He no longer wants to be linked with his past, yet still mysterious killers keep terrorizing his quiet life, and he is compelled to take action. When the mastermind behind the conspiracy against him is unveiled, it strikes closer to home than he anticipated. SPOILERS AHEAD
The American Plot Synopsis
While in the company of his girlfriend Ingrid, Jack is ambushed by rogue assassins. After disposing of them, he fatally shoots Ingrid in the head to eliminate all witnesses. He then flees from Sweden to Rome, Italy, and calls up his handler, Pavel. They meet at a discreet cafeteria, where Pavel reprimands Jack for engaging in personal affairs and tells him to keep his head down while the Swedes are dealt with. Jack then proceeds to his destination: the tiny village of Castelvecchio in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Noticing that the area appears so small and unwelcoming, Jack decides to proceed to an alternative destination, the charming town of Castel Del Monte.
Jack here comes in the guise of Edward, a photographer by profession, spending his days wandering around the town, making connections, and getting romantic flirtations all along while haunted by his past. The scenario changes when he gets a new job. Now, Jack’s in the middle of it again. Feelings of being watched and stalked descend upon his life and dreams. Paranoia intrudes on his nascent relationships as he struggles to maintain his vision of peace. The climax of this double life is in sight, and the question of survival starts haunting him again.
Jack’s Days of Concealment are Full of Paranoia
During his stay in Castel Del Monte, Jack encounters three significant figures: Father Benedetto, Mathilde, and Clara. Father Benedetto is the priest of the locality who invites him one evening. Here, he shows his amazement with Jack’s lack of interest in the history of Abruzzo, where he is allegedly taking pictures. Benedetto says it is a quintessentially American practice to live in the moment by excluding the past. This is a commentary on Jack’s state of mind, as he goes about his daily life futilely trying to leave behind his past with Ingrid but is still haunted with nightmares, paranoia, and feelings of guilt. Benedetto also has a history of his own — he instructs Jack to look in on the local mechanic Fabio, who is rumoured to be keeping bad company. When Jack happens upon a photo of Benedetto in Fabio’s bedroom, he assumes Fabio is the priest’s illegitimate son.
Meanwhile, Pavel gives Jack a new task: to bespoke a rifle for Mathilde, a fellow killer. Guaranteed that he would not be directly involved, Jack takes on the task and approaches Mathilde in an open market. She requests the fabrication of a special rifle, with a high-powered performance, long distance, and noise suppression, while still being small enough to be carried inside a briefcase. Jack describes to her the intricacies of her request before finally accepting to create it. Though he sets most of the rifle perfectly, creating a suppressor is still difficult, and he has to resort to scraps from Fabio’s workshop to complete his piece. Mathilde is impressed with his handiwork and requests some final tweaks and orders tailor-made bullets, arranging for the rifle to be delivered in one month.
Jack’s Relationship With Clara Is His Turning Point
Jack’s sojourn in Castel Del Monte is marked by encounters with Clara, a town prostitute. At first, Jack merely plans to hire her services, but comes to take an interest, exchanging looks, returning for her companionship, and simply wanting to meet her frequently enough. Amidst town blending, riflemaking for Mathilde, and eluding a mysterious stalker, Clara appears the only bright spot in Jack’s life. Benedetto, who is suspicious of why Jack has really stayed in the town, comments that he lives in a special hell, “a place without love.” This brings Jack face to face with himself, and he realizes he longs for an emotional connection with Clara, and he starts dreaming of a peaceful and loving life with her.
After this, he takes Clara to dinner, where they learn more about one another and become closer. This is interrupted by the discovery of a gun hidden in her bag by Jack, giving rise to suspicion. He takes her out on a picnic to a riverbank, where he tests and later accuses her of the gun. Here, Clara confesses that she maintains it for safety from the serial killer who has been roaming around murdering whores. Jack, at last relaxed, teases himself with the idea of trusting someone else again. When Clara asks them to live together, Jack unwillingly states that they can’t, but in his heart, he wishes for the same.
The American Ending: Who is Behind The Attempts On Jack’s Life?
Having discovered love, Jack no longer wants anything to do with this profession. He calls Pavel, informing him that this is to be his last mission, after which he will retire. Pavel appears to agree with him, but immediately afterwards, phones Mathilde and instructs her to “Listen very carefully…” as the scene cuts off. Just before he departs with the briefcase containing the completed rifle, Jack reflects and then opens the case. There is a significant bit of foreshadowing in this small scene about things shortly to happen. For a new life with Clara, Jack asks her to marry him as a religious procession passes. Mathilde stands silently on a roof above, rifle in hand — set to fire. The instant she does, however, the rifle blows up in her face, taking off a section of it.
What happens is that Jack had long suspected Mathilde and, foreseeing her attempt on his life, set a trap for the rifle before handing it over to her. Mathilde initially had the intention of killing him immediately after the handover; however, she was unable to because of Jack’s prudent delivery of her to a public place. After this, she attempts yet again the following day, one which again backfires — literally. Jack hurries to a dying Mathilde and inquires of her who commissioned the whole affair, to which she responds “The same as you,” referring to his own handler, Pavel.
Pavel’s motivation for all of this is straightforward: in his eyes, Jack is a loose end. Being a skilled killer, Jack understands and knows too much. If he is allowed to retire and form genuine relationships, he becomes an untrustworthy asset. Even Pavel initially regards Ingrid as the one who directed the Swedes to him, and his suspicious mindset continues to prevail. Jack therefore is not fit for this line of work, and is to be removed without delay. But Jack’s instincts and sharp senses save him from death and expose the entire truth. Just as he is about to make his move, Father Benedict jumps up behind him, bewildered at what is happening.
Why Does Jack Spare Clara and Father Benedetto?
Father Benedetto is an innocent father who has attempted, during his relationship with Jack, to get him to face his past and admit his crimes and deal with his remorse. Ingrid’s murder is Jack’s greatest guilt and regret. When Father Benedict sees Jack over the body of injured Mathilde, the scene repeats the same scenario with Father Benedetto substituting for Ingrid as eyewitness. Jack holds the gun to Benedetto’s head, but this time he spares him. By doing so, Jack risks jeopardizing himself. Rather than opting for instinctively surviving and defending himself by taking the lives of innocents, Jack understands the importance of life and feels guilty about the brutal act itself and apologizes.
This is after Jack promises Clara. Jack, who is in love with Clara, wants to leave his crime-laden life and be with her. Clara is the implicit recreation of Ingrid. Having a romantic affair with Ingrid led Jack to take lives — hers, and theirs as lovers. Jack finding such a relationship with Clara amidst perilous surroundings is his re-establishment of trust. During the religious procession, Jack proposes to Clara, promising her a future where they live together, she agrees, confessing her love to him. However, this new beginning must first survive a sacrifice. The visuals of the Virgin Mary and the symbolic lamb at the beginning of this scene foreshadow this development.
Does Jack Die in The End?
With Mathilde’s dead, Jack heads out for one final showdown with Pavel. Realizing that he is being tailed, Jack leads Pavel to deserted streets, expecting him to let his guard down. Before Pavel can take his shot, Jack, having sensed him behind him, suddenly turns around and points his gun at Pavel. Jack is quicker and shoots Pavel on the forehead, killing him. The betrayal is great, and it concludes in the flick of a finger, with Jack departing towards his new life with Clara, away from this nefarious business and its perils.
But while driving, Jack pats his stomach, only to realize they are red. Having realized that he has been shot, he increases speed — determined to reach Clara, whom he had promised to see near the river. In a beautifully done scene, the crowd traces his expressions throughout, as they oscillate between fear, desperation, and determination. When he arrives, he is able to share glances with Clara, but it’s too late already. The last scene depicts Jack’s bloodied fingers running along his windshield as he faints, Clara screaming his name, “Eduardo”. Because of the severity of his injuries, Jack won’t survive.
The Importance of The River in The Conclusion of The American
Jack loses his senses by the river, a mysterious location which seems to be frequented by no one except him. He takes two ladies to the location — one is Mathilde, who serves as a reminder of the kind of life which he wishes to leave behind, and the other is Clara, whom Jack wishes to start life anew with. With Mathilde, he acts out a picnic, and his actual intention is to make a trial run on the rifle. This scene is depicted with a romantic touch, bringing intimacy forward when Jack discusses the butterfly settling on Mathilde. The river appears for the second time in the narrative when Jack takes Clara out there for a picnic in order to discover the reason why she is carrying a gun. This time around, the romance has a happy ending, with Jack professing wishing to spend the remainder of his life with her.
In the final shot, the forces of these two moments struggle with each other, to determine once and for all which one of his two existences Jack really belongs to: that of an assassin or of a lover. His last seconds are left unclear, but there is a crucial bit of visual metaphor that gets the point across. While Jack’s consciousness recedes, the camera also moves away from them and onto a white butterfly dancing in the woods. This represents the passing of Jack’s life, both assassin and human life, as he becomes a part of nature again, he finally achieves the serenity he so longed for.
