“Leave now while there is still time.” Arriving on an assignment on the isolated Canary Island of Fuerteventura, hitman Wilson (superbly played by Ian McShane) realizes he has to wait for his target to arrive. Finding himself unintentionally ‘on holiday’, his structured and organized life shifts and his world is turned upside down by the people he meets, as he faces the dilemma of his obligations.
The magic of the vast arid volcanic island seeps into him and the mystery of a ghostly shipwreck that seems to express things about his own life shakes the normal routine of his life. He drives across those volcanic valleys, sharing his free time with the people he has met, listening to a song by Julio Iglesias on the car radio that echoes his own life: -
“De tanto correr por la vida sin freno/ Me olvidé que la vida se vive un momento” (Living in the fast lane without using any brakes, I forgot that life is but a moment).
Adam Nagaitis as Ryan and Ian McShane as Wilson
Wilson is being tracked by a colleague, Ryan (Adam Nagaitis) who calls him uncle, and they both find themselves becoming close to Gloria (Nora Arnezeder) who is not what she seems. Her attractive mother Anna (Fanny Ardent), charms Wilson, who has to fight to remember the purpose of his visit to the island. Ryan is an interesting character. He introduces the surreal element, for, despite being an ‘assassin,’ he has daily chats with “Mum” on the telephone, blurring the boundaries of his ruthless work with the mundanity of ordinary life. Not many characters fill these huge skies and spaces in this movie, but their enigmatic quality carries you along with intrigue and suspense.
A touching sequence is how Wilson befriends Max (a charming Oscar Coleman). Max is a young boy, no more than twelve, who is largely ignored by his parents. His father snores so loudly, that Max prefers to spend his nights in the hotel corridor where he meets Wilson, who chats with him and makes him a parachute for his toy soldier.
Oscar Coleman as Max and Ian McShane as Wilson
All these brief encounters remind Wilson, a Falkand’s War veteran, of a life he might have lived had he made different choices. Despite his ruthless professionalism, here is a man with a heart who struggles with the challenges of his situation.
American Star (2024) was directed by Madrid born, Gonzalo López-Gallego. After his debut into the film world with the award winning Nómadas (2000), López-Gallego gained fame with the highly successful Apollo 8 (2011). His first outing with Thomas Kretschmann was in Open Grave (2013) and later with Ian McShane in the powerful modern western, The Hollow Point (2016). In American Star, these actors come together again to full effect. Produced by EMU Films, and McShane’s production entity Tamariska, American Star, is released in teh UK by Vertigo Releasing.
Nora Arenzeder as Gloria ans Ian McShane as Wilson
The sound track (led by sound supervisors Stephan Griffiths and Andy Shelley) is so good on this production that it deserves a mention. It takes on a character of its own and engages in its own dialogue. There is the white noise of the prevailing and constant wind on the island, that dominates so many scenes so that when absent, creates a very conscious silence. So it is also, with the choice of musical score (REMATE) and foley sounds. All adding subtle dimensions to the story.
With his ability to convey menace and warmth at the same time, combined with an earthy grittiness, Ian McShane dominates the screen. He plays the lead with style and conviction so it is hard to even imagine tht this man is 81 years old. McShane’s father was the well-known Harry McShane, a professional footballer from Scotland. Ian McShane started out young with the National Youth Theatre and went on to RADA alongside contemporaries Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt, with whom he shared a flat. In fact, he acted with Hurt in his first film, The Wild and the Willing (1962).
Ian McShane as Wilson
His fame started when he became a heart-throb, after playing Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1967). He then went on to America, where he played the British Film Director Don Lockwood in Dallas, although he is best known there, for playing the historical figure Al Swearengen in the HBO TV series Deadwood, for which he was awarded the 2005 Golden Globe for Best Actor and acquired many nominations. He has been a consistently ‘at work’ actor, that has included voicing parts in animated films such as Mr Bobinsky in Coraline and Tai Lung in the Kung Fu Panda movies.
Adam Nagaitis as Ryan
McShane is imminently watchable and one of those characters that you instinctively follow on screen, ideal for a figure lost in the sweeping volcanic landscapes of the island of Fuerteventura in the Canaries. This film takes its name from the ghostly shipwreck of a ship called the'American Star'. It lies, breaking up in the fury of the waves in an isolated bay, tilting and disintegrating like a metaphor for Wilson’s life.
This is a very watchable and enjoyable film.
From February 24th 2024, AMERICAN STAR (2024) will be released on UK cinemas and Digital Platforms (Curzon Home Cinema, Apple TV. Amazon, Sky Store, Virgin, You Tube, Rakuten and Microsoft) through Vertigo Releasing-
Director: Gonzalo López-Gallego/ Screenplay: Nacho Faerna / Producers: Michael Elliott, Ian McShane/ Exec Producers Terry Smith/ Wally Ullah. Jim Mooney, Nacho Faerna and Gonzalo López-Gallego/ DOP: José David Montero/ Editor: Gonzalo López-Gallego/ Sound: Stephen Griffiths and Andy Shelley/ Composer: Remate.
Cast: Wilson: Ian McShane/ Gloria: Nora Arnezeder/Max: Oscar Coleman/Ryan: Adam Nagaitis/Anne: Fanny Ardant/ Thomas: Thomas Kretschmann / Linda: Sabela Arán.
