How The Amateur changed one major thing from the book

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for The Amateur. Reader discretion is advised.

The Amateur brings Rami Malek in the role of a CIA cryptographer who becomes a spy while trying to find his wife's murderers. It offers Malek another chance to sink his teeth deeper into a compelling thriller after his star-making role in Mr. Robot. Much like the USA Network show, the new espionage thriller shows Malek as a tech guy who uses his skills for his vigilante mission. However, unlike the character from the show, his reasons are less ideological and more personal. He pursues his goals to avenge his wife's sudden, untimely loss.

Malek brings back the qualities that he had explored as Elliot Alderson. Even here, his character is introverted and singularly focused on his specific set of skills. No matter how people perceive him, he understands the value of his work for the greater good. In The Amateur, he does not change his ways of work until something compels him to. That leads him to be an expert spy who can hunt down the assassins and fight with them like someone with tons of experience. This transformation was also explored in Robert Littell's novel of the same name.

Like any other adaptation, The Amateur also makes a couple of changes to the original stories. While we may not know the specific creative reasons, we can discuss how these changes affect the overall storyline. One major change in particular could have shaped Malek's character's journey in a different direction.

James Hawes' The Amateur works with a traumatizing character arc over a romantic one

James Hawes, who directed the first season of Apple TV+'s Slow Horses, helms Rami Malek's The Amateur. In his adaptation, he changes a key element from the character's journey that offers a slightly different understanding of his character. Hawes' film follows Charles Heller (Malek) on a globe-trotting adventure as he tries to find the four culprits responsible for his wife, Sarah's (Rachel Brosnahan), death. They are also connected to Heller's boss.

While trying to expose the truth of it all, Heller crosses paths with Inquiline (Caitríona Balfe), his once-anonymous contact, who helps him in his ambitious mission. In Robert Littell's book, Inquiline's character is reportedly called Elisabeth. So, the 1981 film adaptation, directed by Charles Jarrott, called her by the same name. However, in both stories, Heller and Elisabeth are shown getting into a romantic relationship. Unlike that, Hawes' film does not use this dramatic angle.

Even in the previous iterations of the story, Elizabeth helps Heller in his mission. However, she survives until the end of the film and also gets romantically involved with Heller. Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli, who wrote Hawes' film, changed not just her name but her arc. She does not fall in love with Heller and loses her life while helping him.

It seems like a mature choice, which otherwise could have steered the story in a whole new direction. The romance would not have seemed absurd for Malek's version of Heller, who is utterly devastated by his wife's loss. So, his getting involved with another woman shortly after Sarah's death, who is also helping him find her murderers, would not have been the smartest choice.