The Gunman

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".

In the same grain as "The American" and "The International", "THE (notice a trend?) Gunman" is a international thriller/action. Where the former 2 films focus more on the thrill, and are overall failures, Gunman is more action, and much more entertaining. If you are looking for a fairly low commitment to a 'smart' action movie, then you can do worse.

In 2006, Terrier (Penn) works for a global corporation (that might as well be called Umbrella Corporation) and is asked to kill a high ranking diplomat. The movie then skips ahead to the present where Terrier is not being chased down by unknown assailants. Nothing original there.

Terrier (Penn) is a likable character. Penn tends to be an actor your either hate or love, but he is does a good job as a grittier, more realistic Jason Borne. The movie ties to humanize him, but that side plot is mostly a thud. After Penn, the cast is stellar - however underutilized. It really is the peak of 'hey that guy' British actors. Unfortunately, Elba who gets second billing is in the movie for 2 scenes total and less than 3 minutes screen time, a role that has so little to it that I might as well have played the character. Winstone and Bardem exist, but their talent is mostly wasted.

The movie is a step sideways from a classic action movie. If you like the Borne series and its fast paced action you likely won't enjoy the more 'realistic' violence of "The Gunman". Unfortunately, if you are not interested in the Borne series, this likely won't be of any more interest. I give the movie a 7, because I enjoyed it. It is far from perfect, I feel the movie definitely 'left sometime on the table' in terms of directing and acting, it misses often in character development, and the movie kind of devolves into cliché, but there is enough substance to watch.

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.

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.

THE GUNMAN is the latest action thriller from Pierre Morel, the French director who helmed the outstanding TAKEN and DISTRICT 13. Since then he wobbled a bit with FROM Paris WITH LOVE with its silly, jokey storyline, but he's back on form with this deadly serious international thriller that has much in common with the modern-day likes of the Swedish HAMILTON films.

The story is clichéd and predictable but the film delivers more than adequate thrills and some great action sequences. Sean Penn is a former assassin who's trying to find out which of his former colleagues has betrayed him and sent a hit squad to take him out. To make him a bit more vulnerable, he's studying from a rare form of concussion which makes him lose it every time his head gets knocked about.

THE GUNMAN is quite a lengthy film but it keeps you watching throughout and the location photography in the Congo and Barcelona is well handled. The supporting cast is also a good one with turns for reliably solid Idris Elba, Javier Bardem, and quite surprisingly Mark Rylance, who fits well into the genre despite being better known as a theatre actor. Sean Penn isn't my favourite guy around thanks to his outspoken political views but even I can admit he's a good choice for the part in this.