When the topic of spy films comes up, what most often springs to mind are images of suave, highly skilled agents — such as James Bond with his famous Walther PPK pistol, or Ethan Hunt and the high-tech gadgets he uses to scale skyscrapers.

The Amateur, a new Hollywood spy thriller, presents a very different kind of Central Intelligence Agency agent — one who is sometimes clumsy, not even daring enough to pull the trigger.

The film, released on the Chinese mainland on April 11, is adapted from the 1981 novel of the same name by Robert Littell, an American writer who specializes in tales of espionage.

Featuring Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek as Charlie Heller, a talented CIA decoder and analyst with an intelligence quotient of over 170, the film begins with the tragic death of his wife Sarah, who is played by Rachel Brosnahan, in a London terrorist attack. After using his skills to swiftly uncover the perpetrators, Heller is frustrated to find that his superiors are refusing to act, forcing him to embark on a dangerous global manhunt to avenge her death.

Malek, who is most familiar to Chinese audiences for his role as singer Freddie Mercury in the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, tells China Daily during an online interview on April 9 that he was in Irish capital Dublin when he received a call inquiring about his future acting plans.

Recalling his portrayal of a cybersecurity engineer and hacker in the American television drama series Mr. Robot, Malek says he hoped to flex his muscles again in this genre.

"I thought I'd like to see an action film featuring someone with both a very high IQ and high emotional intelligence as well. That's what drew me to the story and the role. You don't often see those two qualities balanced in films, or even in real life," he explains.