George Clooney brings subtle intensity to the strong-and-silent type he plays in this thriller.

The story (based on Martin Booth’s novel “A Very Private Gentleman”) is actually a cliche—a hardened assassin decides he wants out and tries to complete his last “job” without becoming a target himself. But what makes “The American” different is the spectacularly rugged Italian locations in the non-touristy region of Abruzzo and the stunning beauty of the hillside villages where the hit man Jack (Clooney) awaits orders and hides from mysterious gunmen who are hunting him. He visits a brothel and falls for a prostitute, Clara (Violante Placido), who makes him long for a simple life.

Explicit sex scenes and full nudity, rather than the relatively restrained violence in “The American,” make it a film best seen by those 17 and older. Some of the shooting is point-blank and briefly bloody, with one graphic head wound, but most of the violence remains quite understated.

Two 30-ish people have a fling, but find themselves falling in love and trying to maintain a long-distance relationship in “Going the Distance.” Alas, this tiresome, crudely written rom-com suffers from— among many things—a lack of chemistry between stars Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. Barrymore plays Erin, a wannabe newspaper reporter who waits tables while finishing her degree and trying to get hired in a shrinking industry. She meets Garrett (Long), a music industry drone, at a New York bar. They play trivia and arcade games and fall into bed, but when it’s time for her to return to California, they realize they’re smitten and they vow to keep the romance alive.

Better for over-17s. The sexual content—strongly implied phone sex and masturbation, crude sexual slang—as well as generally strong profanity keep “Going the Distance” inRterritory and not appropriate for under-17s. Characters also drink a lot and briefly puff on a bong. There are sexual situations, back-view nudity and toilet humor. The film comes down on the side of committed relationships versus casual sex, but the tone is crude.

“Machete” (R)— Longtime movie tough guy Danny Trejo, usually relegated to playing secondary thugs, takes the lead in Robert Rodriguez’s blood-blade-and-gun fest. Trejo plays the title character, who earns his mythic nickname, Machete, as a take-no-prisoners Mexican Federale. After a drug lord (Steven Seagal) kills his family, Machete sneaks into Texas and works as a day laborer. He’s drawn into an assassination plot against a vicious anti-immigration state senator (Robert De Niro) by the senator’s own corrupt aide (Jeff Fahey). Machete takes the money, but doesn’t quite follow orders. He connects with a taco-stand owner, Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), who runs an underground railroad for illegal immigrants, helping them to get across and get settled. AU. S. immigration agent, Sartana (Jessica Alba), is on Luz’s trail but finds herself sympathetic to Machete and Luz and La Revolucion against the corrupt power structure. Rodriguez’s film is a sort of revenge fantasy against today’s anti-immigrant mood. It’s also, while amazingly bloody, full of energy and wit—for adults.

Definitely not for under-17s, “Machete” is bathed in Rodriguez’s trademark “grindhouse” blood-and- guts brand of mayhem. It is enormously gory, with beheadings, disembowelings, impalings and steaming profanity. Other elements that warrant anRinclude frontal nudity and strong sexual innuendo, along with strongly implied sexual situations.