ENTERTAINMENT
The Surprise Slap That Changed Everything
Fri Apr 11 2025
The movie The Amateur is a spy thriller. It is based on a book by Robert Littell. It is about a man named Charlie Heller. He is played by Rami Malek. Heller is a smart guy who works for the CIA. He is good with numbers and codes. But he is not a spy. He wants to find the people who killed his wife. He wants to take revenge. He tells his bosses he wants to do it himself. They laugh at him. They do not think he can do it. But he is determined. He gets training. One day, during his training, something unexpected happens.
Colonel Henderson, played by Laurence Fishburne, is training Heller. He wants to show Heller that he cannot be a killer. He puts a gun in Heller's hand and tells him to shoot. Heller hesitates. Henderson slaps him. He slaps him hard. He slaps him twice. This is not in the script. Fishburne does it on his own. He wants to make the scene more real. He wants to show how tough it is to be a killer.
The director, James Hawes, was surprised. He thought the scene would be different. He thought Henderson would just talk to Heller. But the slap made the scene better. It showed how tough it is to be a killer. It showed how tough it is to take revenge.
Malek was surprised too. He did not know Fishburne would slap him. But he liked it. He said Fishburne is a true professional. He said the slap made the scene more real. He said it showed how tough it is to be a killer. He said it showed how tough it is to take revenge.
Fishburne does not remember improvising the slap. He was just in the moment. He was just acting. He said he asked Malek if he was okay. Malek said he was fine. He said they should keep going.
The slap was not in the script. But Hawes likes it. He thinks it makes the scene better. He thinks it shows how tough it is to be a killer. He thinks it shows how tough it is to take revenge. He thinks it is one of the best scenes in the movie.
Fishburne thinks so too. He said the scene is about more than just the slap. It is about what it takes to take revenge. It is about what it costs. It is about whether it is the right thing to do. He said these are important questions. He said they are questions we all should ask.
The Amateur is a movie about revenge. It is about what it takes to take revenge. It is about what it costs. It is about whether it is the right thing to do. It is a movie that makes you think. It is a movie that makes you feel. It is a movie that stays with you. It is a movie that you should see.
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questions
If Laurence Fishburne had warned Rami Malek about the slap, would the scene have been as intense?
Could the improvisation have been a secret agreement between Fishburne and the director to add authenticity to the film?
Did Rami Malek ever consider asking for hazard pay after being slapped multiple times during the scene?
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