George Clooney tries to bring some depth to his usually unflappable cool in "The American" (opening today), but the slow-moving hip visual sensitivities of director Anton Corbijn are too much style and not enough substance.

Clooney plays an assassin on the run in Italy after dodging people trying to kill him in Sweden. He lays low in a small town in Abruzzo, preparing a weapon for another assassin (Thekla Reuten), when he meets a comely prostitute (Violante Placido) with whom he strikes a spark.

Clooney's performance is economical in movement and dialogue, and he intimates a lot about his character's weariness with just a long gaze. Alas, Clooney's attempt for depth, something beyond the Danny Ocean coolness, is lost in the mists of Corbijn's cool tone and slow pacing.

Read the Cricket's full review here.