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The Amateur

The movie The Amateur was based on the book The Amateur.

Which one did you like better, the movie or the book?  There are 9 votes for the book, and 9 votes for the movie.

Movie details for The Amateur

The movie was released in 1981 and directed by Charles Jarrott, who also directed Condorman (1981). The Amateur was produced by Anchor Bay. More information on the movie is available on Amazon.com and also IMDb.

Actors on this movie include John Savage, Christopher Plummer, Marthe Keller, Arthur Hill, Nicholas Campbell, George Coe, John Marley, Jan Rubes, Ed Lauter, Miguel Fernandes, Jan Triska, Graham Jarvis, Jacques Godin, Chapelle Jaffe, Lynne Griffin, Vladimír Valenta, Vlasta Vrana, Neil Dainard, Lee Broker and Tedde Moore.

 

Read More About This Movie

At 29, Charles Heller was a mathematician without equal. At the CIA he was a computer expert wtihout peers. But when terrorists murder the most important woman in his life, he becomes an assassin without experience. To avenge her death, the CIA trained... Read More
At 29, Charles Heller was a mathematician without equal. At the CIA he was a computer expert wtihout peers. But when terrorists murder the most important woman in his life, he becomes an assassin without experience. To avenge her death, the CIA trained him, briefed him, armed him, and then... they abandoned him. The first 11 minutes will rivet you to your seat. IN A WORLD OF PROFESSIONALS, THERE IS NO ROOM FOR AN AMATEUR.

Book details for The Amateur

The Amateur was written by Robert Littell. The book was published in 1981 by Overlook Hardcover. More information on the book is available on Amazon.com.

 

Read More About This Book

With last year's publication of his New York Times bestseller The Company, Robert Littell reestablished his position as one of our top writers of intelligent, ironic, and always entertaining espionage thrillers. After many years The Amateur, a cult classi... Read More
With last year's publication of his New York Times bestseller The Company, Robert Littell reestablished his position as one of our top writers of intelligent, ironic, and always entertaining espionage thrillers. After many years The Amateur, a cult classic among aficionados, is finally available again as Overlook republishes Littell's best.

In this "first-rate thriller" (Chicago Tribune), Charlie Heller is an ace cryptographer for the Company. He's a quiet man with a quiet job in a back office. But when terrorists shoot his fiancée in cold blood and Heller learns that the Agency has decided not to pursue those responsible, his life takes an abrupt turn. He was not a blackmailer but he will force the CIA's hand. He was not an assassin but he will penetrate the Iron Curtain with the intent to kill. Driven by an obsessive need for revenge, targeted for elimination by the CIA itself, Heller is an amateur with a one-in-a-million chance of success.