The Gunman

I don't think I ever saw Sean Penn do an action movie.

Not sure if he's at that point in his career were he does not care or he just feels he can't be a well diverse actor without having this on his resume.

Either way he does a good performance as one, and was impressively built but not overdone for the role.

The movie does go over some political satire with his character playing a Metaphor of the guilt we all should all feel about our own involvement in what's going on in the Congo.

Guess he felt this will be a better way to spread his word to the masses. Penn was wrong about that. I got very little from this flick.

Although the movie is mostly laid with espionage and sprinkled with action, neither elements got my pulse pounding.

Javier Barton is good in this movie. He's a great actor and it's fun to see him on the big screen as Penn's rival for the affections of a woman.

But if you are fans of Idris Elba, like I am, don't let his top billing fool you. He's barely in it, and his role does nothing to help the film.

I like the film but I snoozed though it. Penn brought nothing new to the genre and I was hoping he would but he did not.

Catch on DVD.

Hit man Jim Terrier (Sean Penn) assassinates the Congo's Minister of Mines, leaves the country for 8-years, comes back to dig wells for the people and then he's targeted. Now he has to find out who is after him. Oh, and he suffers from PTSD. Let the games begin.

We normally don't see Sean Penn in this kind of action hero role. Maybe that is because Matt Damon hasn't done a Jason Bourne movie in a great while and others have to take up the slack. So the question is who will be the next Jason Bourne? HA !

What we have is a pretty good suspenseful thriller. Here's the thing: we are not sure if Jim Terrier will make it all the way as he gets banged up often. Yes, we are cringing and bandaging ourselves from time to time. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. The director gave us the suspense and tension all the way through, and we are not sure who Jim Terrier can trust of those who used to work with him back in the day. And his PTSD symptoms crop up at inopportune times (isn't that always the case?) and don't make things easy for him (indeed).

Notables: Javier Bardem as Felix; Ray Winstone as Stanley; Mark Rylance as Cox; and Idris Elba as Barnes. And then there is Jasmine Trinca as Annie, the love Jim Terrier left behind after the shooting of the Minister of Mines. She is nothing but beautiful (you falling in love again?) and she can act.

We do see some very good landscapes in London, the Congo and in Spain that also gave us a bullfight arena. No CGI as the fights were all real natural stunts and very cringe worthy (Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.) (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, at times.

Based on the novel The Prone Gunman, by Jean-Patrick Manchette, 'The Gunman' is a decent action-thriller, that's engaging, but only in parts. While the action has sharpness to it, the thriller aspect doesn't entirely work.

'The Gunman' Synopsis: A sniper on a mercenary assassination team, kills the minister of mines of the Congo. Terrier's successful kill shot forces him into hiding. Returning to the Congo years later, he becomes the target of a hit squad himself.

'The Gunman' begins with force, but loses momentum mid-way. I wasn't rooting for the hero on the run, after a point. Also, the identity of the culprit, lacks the bite & offers no shock value. Its predictable to the core. But, the action-sequences work! Not only are they sharply choreographed & executed, they also lend toughness to the narrative.

Don Macpherson, Pete Travis & Sean Penn's Screenplay is okay. Though it isn't without merit, it still isn't powerful enough. Pierre Morel's Direction is stylish. Cinematography is impressive. Editing is ordinary. Marco Beltrami's Score is fine.

Performance-Wise: Sean Penn delivers a committed performance, yet again! He enacts the protagonist with complete honesty & his striking physique stands out. He looks terrific here! Jasmine Trinca is nicely restrained. Javier Bardem looks jaded & least interested in the goings-on. Ray Winstone is, as always, competent. Mark Rylance is fair. Idris Elba is wasted.

On the whole, 'The Gunman' is a so-so fare.

Some performances were better than others, the ultimate goal of the movie took forever to get off the ground (like the first half)... I miss the old Sean Penn who took roles displaying his raw talent over these emotionally enriched character development stories which quite frankly come off as emotionally supercharged in my book.

The film has some good shootout sequences and Javier Bardem is a joy to watch but the story just isn't there for any kind of connection to the rest of the characters, I'm kind of surprised this emo-fest wasn't the brainchild of Clint Eastwood to begin with.

What action sequences there are well done but there are far too few for a movie called "The Gunman".

I was pleasantly surprised by this film given the negative reception that it had received.

For the most part, the acting ranges from serviceable to good. Sean Penn falls in the latter, as he embodies the typical action hero role in a believable manner. Jasmine Trinca is okay, though to be fair it's not like she's given much to work with from the script. And Javier Bardem has a lot of fun with the role, though at times his acting is more theatrical, and seems like it should be in a different movie. And to those who wish to see the movie solely due to Idris Elba, I have to warn you he's in the movie for about a total of 10 minutes.

The characters aren't particularly deep, and they most certainly all fall within clichés (ex. killer who regrets his past and is trying to make amends), however for the most part I found the characters to be entertaining. Annie was the weakest character as the stereotypical love interest, which hurts the movie as it wants the audience to care about the relationship between her and Terrier.

Just as the characters are all that well fleshed out, neither is the story. It's pretty basic and easy to follow, and the movie goes along the familiar beats of the genre. At first I hated a certain plot point concerning a certain character's head trauma, but it ended up making for a more interesting movie as it helped make a character less invincible and also has a vital affect on the story.

The action is well done, with it being pretty easy to follow and nice to look at. It's not too bombastic, and consist more of hand-to-hand combat, surprise attacks, and use of the environment. I found it very refreshing how both the protagonist and antagonist utilized the environment, as it made the action more interesting and exciting to watch. Terrier also isn't a one man wrecking crew killing 30 guys with no effort; he dispatches some easily, but as the movie goes on, there are times when he meets an equal and is harmed. At the beginning the fights have a bit of shaky cam to them, but that quickly goes away, which ends up working in the movie's favor.

Despite the very standard characters and plot, I had a fun time with this movie. I'd certainly recommend it for anyone who's a huge fan of action, as it's a good way to past the time and have some fun.