The Amateur (1981 film)

The Amateur
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCharles Jarrott
Screenplay by
Based onThe Amateur
by Robert Littell
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJohn Coquillon
Edited byStephan Fanfara
Music byKen Wannberg
Production
companies
  • Balkan Productions
  • Tiberius Film Productions
Distributed byPan-Canadian Film Distributors (Canada)
20th Century Fox (international)
Release date
  • December 11, 1981 (1981-12-11)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$10 million
Box officeUS$6.9 million

The Amateur is a 1981 Canadian spy thriller film directed by Charles Jarrott, and written by Robert Littell and Diana Maddox, based on Littell's 1981 novel of the same name. It stars John Savage, Christopher Plummer, Marthe Keller, Arthur Hill, Nicholas Campbell, George Coe, John Marley and Ed Lauter. The film is about a CIA analyst (Savage) who goes rogue to avenge the murder of his wife.

The film was released by Pan-Canadian Film Distributors on December 11, 1981. It was nominated for several Genie Awards in 1982, including for Best Motion Picture. Another film adaptation of the novel was released in 2025.