The Gunman

What made Sean Penn switch from Oscar-worthy performances and directing Into the Wild to the character of an action hero in a coproduction with Joel Silver? A job another former character actor, Liam Neeson, didn’t dream of and now has three of them lined up every year? Gunman doesn’t want to be modernly stylish; it wants to be dirty and dark, with an ambiguously clean protagonist. I personally like this take and have no problem with Penn’s character. On the contrary, it’s the only thing that makes the movie interesting and different from its genre siblings, as it doesn’t excel in any other respect. The script seems to have been written twenty years ago, at the times of Harrison Ford’s Jack Ryan (to which it would have been a “dark alternative”). And mainly it dawdles with a romantic storyline no one really cares about. (26.03.2015)

I'm satisfied. Gunman is a decent action genre film, not bringing anything new, but it's great to watch thanks to the perfect cast, the solid R-rated action, the nice location and an interesting story. The only thing I would criticize is that the film doesn't maintain a nonstop adrenaline pace and lacks a decent twist, but there is no danger of boredom. The final knife duel and the disposal in the building is a treat, and Sean Penn is excellent here. Definitely only for fans of the genre, let the others polish their balls with Birdman. 75% (21.03.2015)

As long as I tried to connect Rambo-like amicable repentance, financial tricks, empty love triangles, and Jim's own past, The Gunman held my attention with one hand and cut off branches with more and more characters with the other. But after leaving the cinema, the impressions of the action disintegrate into mere contemplation of how Sean Penn can pump up muscles like this after fifty and why Idris Elba appeared only when the film was almost ending. Unfortunately, Pierre Morel is also a man worth shooting, who proves that 96 Hours was the peak of his career, after which he is merely going downhill. (18.03.2015)

Something between Payback and Blood Diamond. There's the same politics and disputes over a country's mineral wealth, as well as a love triangle that doesn't quite work and is rather secondary. Maybe it's not as romantic or grand, but I don't expect any wilderness from Pierre Morel, rather a story that has pace and doesn't bother with unnecessary digressions that would hinder quality action – and that's exactly what I got. I haven't seen Sean Penn this loaded before, and it's quite nice, with dynamic, proper and well edited action and an excellent final fight. I wouldn't hesitate to say it's a solid addition to the genre. Definitely nothing new what do you really expect from Morel? (21.03.2015)

A B-movie filmed as an A-movie. Sean Penn is incredibly fit for his age and the action scenes are some of the best of this genre, but there are too few of them and you can’t enjoy them properly when the hero starts keeling over prematurely due to brain damage. And when we’re on the topic of laying down, the romantic storyline with the love triangle seems like it’s been copied out of a textbook - reminiscent of French movies of the 70s. The acting aces (why does Bardem always have that look on his face?) are almost unused (Idris Elba made a more or less a cameo appearance) and Penn doesn’t put on a very impressive performance despite his damaged character. This terribly average story with such realistically unpleasant characters was probably impossible to save. And the shamelessly stilted finale was impressive only for the location. It’s one of those unshocking, but uninspiring movie that you might watch on TV, but paying to see it at the movie theater would be a waste of money. Both Morel and Penn can do better. (21.03.2015)