Earlier this year, director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp presented Black Bag, a chic and unconventional spy thriller that artfully revolved around a married couple embroiled in espionage. It was polished, alluring, and intelligent — a revitalizing take on genre norms. Now arrives The Amateur, a film that, at first glance, shares some genetic markers — spies, marriage, secrets — but ultimately comes off as a throwback for all the wrong reasons.

While Black Bag defied expectations and examined the intricacies of marital trust under strain, The Amateur clings to antiquated clichés and worn-out storytelling. It’s a film that attempts to modernize a narrative from decades past with contemporary technology and a “husband guy” angle, yet ends up resembling a remnant of the bygone era.

Rami Malek stars as Charlie Heller, a CIA codebreaker and loving spouse to Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan). Their relationship is tender and idyllic — until it’s abruptly shattered when Sarah meets her end during a terrorist hostage crisis. Devastated and furious, Charlie exploits his insider status to coerce his superiors into training him as a field agent so he can pursue those accountable for her demise.

If this premise rings a bell, it’s because it does. The Amateur is based on Robert Littell’s 1981 novel, which was adapted into a film that same year. But more significantly, it falls into the clichéd trope of “fridging” — eliminating a female character solely to propel a male protagonist’s narrative. Despite Brosnahan’s charm and Emmy-winning talent, her character exists merely to perish and furnish Charlie with a motive to become a vigilante.

Where Black Bag breathed fresh life into the spy genre, The Amateur seems to represent a step back. Its core concept — a man demonstrating his love through violent retribution — is not only stale but also steeped in toxic masculinity. Rather than processing his sorrow or commemorating his wife’s memory in a substantive manner, Charlie embarks on a globe-spanning spree of murder, employing his intellect to devise complex, often ludicrous methods of assassination.

The film attempts to juxtapose Charlie’s soft-spoken, nerdy demeanor with the hyper-masculine realm of CIA operatives. He faces off against characters like Jon Bernthal’s cocky, brawny agent dubbed The Bear, and Holt McCallany’s stern CIA director. However, the “fish out of water” dynamic doesn’t resonate — especially since Malek has previously portrayed a similar character in Mr. Robot. His transition from analyst to assassin lacks emotional resonance and narrative substance.

Laurence Fishburne appears as Charlie’s mentor, Colonel Henderson, providing a hint of gravitas. Yet their relationship is insufficiently developed, and the film hastily moves through what could have been a compelling dynamic. Meanwhile, the remainder of the ensemble cast is largely underutilized. Brosnahan’s Sarah is diminished to a mere smiling recollection. Julianne Nicholson and Caitríona Balfe have little to contribute. Even Michael Stuhlbarg, who delivers a chilling monologue towards the end of the film, cannot redeem the story’s lack of introspection.

The Amateur aspires to be a gritty revenge thriller, but it never grapples with the implications of its protagonist’s actions. Charlie’s mission inflicts collateral damage, civilian trauma, and the death of a comrade — yet the film never halts to contemplate these ramifications. Instead, it races towards a hollow ending that feels more like a formulaic exercise than a fulfilling resolution.

Director James Hawes (One Life, Black Mirror: “Hated in the Nation”) employs a cold, blue-gray color scheme throughout much of the film, yet unexpectedly injects vibrant bursts of color into the action sequences — possibly to romanticize the violence. If that’s the case, it’s a miscalculation. Rather than questioning Charlie’s plunge into vengeance, the film appears to glorify it, undermining any moral nuance it might have sought.

Despite its skilled cast and relevant premise, The Amateur offers nothing new. It’s a film trapped in the past, holding onto outdated notions of masculinity and heroism. Where Black Bag was daring and original, The Amateur is conventional, predictable, and ultimately forgettable.

The Amateur premieres in theaters on April 11.