New Clooney trailer is a slow-burner

A trailer for The American, starring 'that guy what used to be in ER', is out. And it looks like a measured, suspenseful film. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the movie yawned and this trailer escaped out its mouth.

Maybe that's a tad harsh - we can clearly see Clooney holding rifles and having sex with women - kind of like a mellow James Bond, except James Bond comes with fast cars, snappy dialogue and just a dash of cocked eyebrow. This comes with a soundtrack that instils a deep sense of dread.

I'm hoping it's just the trailer, but even the premise sounds a little hackneyed, with Clooney starring as an assassin whose last assignment cost him the life of his lover and has now, naturally, vowed to do one last job. This time he winds up in Italy where he begins to fall in love with the location and its locals.

PR synopsis continues with the rub:

Judging by the footage below, it looks like a mature, sultry and stylish thriller that could be to the action flick genre what Clooney's Solaris was to the sci-fi flick genre.

But would it kill 'em to make the trailer a little more punchy? You're not gonna attract Johnny Burberry and l'il Jimmy Asbo to the cinema with this 'suspenseful morality tale' stuff.