Into the Fire

Although I was an avid complainer concerning the plot and casting in Vince Flynn's prequel of storied character Mitch Rapp, American Assassin presents an action-packed bona fide thriller starring Michael Keaton as Stan Hurley, Dylan O'Brien as Mitch Rapp, and Sanaa Lathan as Irene Kennedy. Michael Keaton as Stan Hurley is terrific. Dylan O'Brien puts in an admirable performance considering the script, and Sanaa Lathan does what is asked of her with this script, but, unfortunately, she is not the real Irene Kennedy. I don't blame her at all. She no doubt did what the screenwriters gave her. And since those who made the film changed so much of their star character's background and elements of the plot, it's not surprising that they changed the overall character of Irene Kennedy. 

Having said all that, I really enjoyed the movie. Excitement, dread, heart-pounding action. All the requirements of a true thriller were present. Dylan O'Brien gave what looked like a fully invested effort to portray the filmmaker's version of the young Mitch Rapp. It was easy to see why Lysa Flynn was pleased with the overall production and those involved in making her late husband's dream come true.

It's hard to think about all of the compromises made to the plot of a great novel, but if it exposes even one new reader to the collection of Vince Flynn novels featuring my favorite character of all time Mitch Rapp, it will have been worth it. I did my duty at the theatre. A man who sat two seats away from me had never heard of Vince Flynn. I told him he needed to read his books and to start with this one (American Assassin). Hopefully the movie will have inspired him to do so. 

(The bad language is more frequent than necessary – and one of the things Irene Kennedy would never do is utter the words she does in this film.)

Father, it's up to you when it comes to souls. You see the hearts of us all. Please, Lord, there are so many desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

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