Freeze Frame: “The Amateur” (R), “Sacramento” (R), “The Luckiest Man in America” (R)

Oscar winner Rami Malek stars in a tight and smart throwback spy movie, “The Amateur.” Malek plays a meek and mild CIA computer analyst and decoder whose wife is murdered when a terrorist operation in London goes wrong. When his CIA superiors decline his request to go after the killers himself, he goes rogue and uses brains instead of brawn to exact his revenge. He travels around the globe to methodically track down and dispatch the bad guys. “The Amateur” is an involving and skillfully made thriller that seems realistic even though it certainly stretches credibility.

“Sacramento” is the kind of offbeat indie comedy that the term ‘quirky’ was coined for. It depicts a pair of friends dealing with nearly identical anxiety issues. They take an awkward road trip together from L.A. to Sacramento after one of their fathers dies. Michael Angarano wrote, directed and stars, supported by Michael Cera, Kristen Stewart and Maya Erskine. One’s reaction to this slim relationship movie will depend largely on your level of patience with these deeply flawed and irresponsible characters. “Sacramento” is one vexing destination.

The strange but true story “The Luckiest Man in America” depicts a game show scandal that occurred in 1984. Paul Walter Hauser plays small-time con man Michael Larson who figured out how to game the system on the CBS quiz show “Press Your Luck.” In racking up the loot, he exposed a number of unsavory things about himself and the TV production company. While well-acted and involving, “The Luckiest Man in America” never quite hits the dramatic jackpot.

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