A year after its release, the espionage thriller The Amateur, starring Rami Malek, is reportedly seeing renewed interest despite initially being overlooked. The film follows CIA operative Charlie Heller, a brilliant but psychologically fragile analyst who sets out on a global mission to track down the terrorists responsible for killing his wife. Its resurgence is being attributed largely to Malek's performance and the film's unconventional take on the spy-thriller genre, which favours emotional unravelling over traditional action heroics.

Directed by James Hawe, the film also stars Rachel Brosnahan, Jon Bernthal and Laurence Fishburne, and distinguishes itself from comparable titles such as The Bourne Identity by keeping its plot straightforward while focusing on Heller's deteriorating mental state and morally ambiguous quest for revenge. Made on a reported budget of $60 million, it grossed close to $100 million worldwide and holds an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics and audiences increasingly praising both Malek's portrayal and the film's exploration of moral ambiguity.