Who said all action stars have to have the brawn of Dwayne Johnson, the intimidating snarl of Liam Neeson, or the bone-cracking agility of Jason Statham? Case in point – Rami Malek in his new film “The Amateur”. He plays an unassuming but extremely intelligent CIA cryptographer who sets out to avenge his wife after she is killed in a London terrorist attack.

In truth, “The Amatuer” isn’t a full-blown action movie. Based on author Robert Littell’s 1981 novel of the same name, this adaptation from director James Hawes has more in common with an espionage thriller. Malek plays Charlie Heller, a brainiac for the CIA who works on encryption and analysis. He’s a quiet homebody who stays consumed with his work which leads him to turn down an offer from his wife Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan) to accompany her on a business trip to London.

But Charlie’s life is shattered when he is informed by CIA Deputy Director Frank Moore (Holt McCallany) that Sarah has been killed during a terrorist attack at her London hotel. The higher-ups assure Charlie that they’re on top of it. But after days of being put off and left in the dark, Charlie decides to take matters into his own hands. He looks to his own “particular set of skills” to track down and pay back the people who took his wife’s life.

But Charlie uncovers incriminating evidence against Director Moore that puts him in the crosshairs of his powerful bosses. So as he travels the globe to find his wife’s killers, he also has to dodge CIA operatives sent by the very agency he works for. They include Robert “Hendo” Henderson (Laurence Fishburne), Charlie’s alleged mentor turned assassin. Filling out the movie’s terrific cast is Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Michael Stuhlbarg, Julianne Nicholson, and Adrian Martinez.

“The Amatuer” gets off to a strong start and does a good job setting the table for a compelling espionage thriller. The first half nicely opens up Charlie, defining his strengths and weaknesses, both of which will come into play throughout the movie. But the second half gets bogged down in its efforts to get from one point to the next. And while Malek’s performance remains steady, he gets caught in the slow-turning gears of the plot. The character development mostly stalls as the story ushers him from country to country.

That said, “The Amateur” is both competently and confidently made. The locations (namely London, Marseille, and Istanbul) are well shot and well incorporated into the story. Malek is a good choice for such a unique protagonist and the handful of action sequences fit well with the character he’s playing. But it’s not without its flaws. A tighter second half and more Jon Bernthal would have done wonders for this entertaining but drawn-out feature.

VERDICT – 3 STARS