Seanny got his gun…
Directed by: Pierre Morel
Written by: Jean-Patrick Manchette (novel “The Prone Gunman”), Don McPherson, Pete Travis, Sean Penn (screenplay)
Starring: Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, Mark Rylance, Ray Winstone, Jasmine Trinca
The H-Bomb: While ostensibly working as a private security contractor for a mining company in the Congo, Jim Terrier (Sean Penn) is tasked with assassinating a government official. Upon completing his assignment, he hops the first flight off continent, leaving behind Annie (Jasmine Trinca), a humanitarian worker he fell in love with. Several years later, Jim, now retired, is back in the Congo, doing humanitarian work himself, as a way of atoning for his shady past.
That shady past, however, is about to catch up with him, as a group of armed mercenaries arrive, gunning specifically for him. After barely escaping by the skin of his dick, Jim flees to Europe, as he starts his investigation into who would want him dead and why. He rightly figures that it must have something to do with that official he capped in the Congo so many years ago, and goes calling on his old associates, Cox (Mark Rylance) and Felix (Javier Bardem), looking for answers.
Instead of answers, though, Jim finds that Felix has since hooked up with his old flame, Annie. This certainly complicates matters, particularly when even more heavily armed assassins show up to collect the bounty on Jim’s head. Now, our bleeding heart bad-ass must not only find out who wants him dead and why, he must also make sure that his one-time lady love is kept out of harm’s way.
The Gunman is not a bad film, not by any means. Certainly not as bad a film as its dismal box office numbers would suggest, it’s just not a particularly remarkable one. As an action flick, it’s perfectly serviceable. There’s plenty of gunfire and explosions and blood spatter on hand, and two-time Academy Award-winner Penn, sporting a nicely ripped physique, does, like Liam Neeson in Taken, make for a surprisingly credible action star. Also, like Taken, this thing could have just as easily starred Steven Seagal, or Dolph Lundgren, and gone straight to DVD.
Both Taken and The Gunman are directed by Pierre Morel, who brings the same no-nonsense efficiency to this film that he did to the Neeson flick. For a film clocking in at nearly a full two hours, Morel keeps it tightly paced, never allowing the lean story to drag at any point. He gives the picture a slick-yet-gritty look, effectively shooting the action in a way that is fast, brutal, and appreciably coherent, allowing us to see the action, instead of confusing us with relentless quick cutting and jarring shaky-cam. The assault on a Spanish country estate that takes place mid-movie is a particular standout, as the violence is wincingly visceral and the explosions genuinely concussive.
Director Morel and lead actor Penn deliver an overall solid, entertaining action movie. Whatever shortcomings The Gunman does have come from its screenplay, which incidentally is co-written by Penn. The story, adapted from Jean-Patrick Manchette’s novel “The Prone Gunman”, is exceptionally generic. Former assassin betrayed and hunted by former employers. Yawn. Probably about a million straight-to-DVD junkers boast the same logline description. This one just somehow managed to attract top drawer talent, both in front of, and behind the camera.
What’s worse, though, than the remarkably unremarkable premise, is the film’s political angle, involving the humanitarian crisis in the Congo, that feels shoehorned in. If I had to guess, I would say this is writer Penn’s contribution to the script, that turns it into a half-assed hybrid of The Bourne Identity and The Constant Gardener. It’s a sincere attempt to raise awareness of the situation in the DRC, but it is way under-cooked; it’s there, but we’re never made to care. The Bourne films do a much better job of blending real world politics into their narratives. Here, it’s totally tacked on, probably so that Penn, the notorious SJW that he is, could justify making a film where he goes around blowing holes in people left and right.
There are also a number of smaller issues throughout that weigh the film down, such as Jim making the bone-headed move to stop in the middle of a chase, in order to explain everything that’s going on to his ex-girlfriend. It’s a scene that easily could have waited until they were both out of harm’s way, yet the script has them stop, right then and there, when they have dangerous mercs on right on their asses, to lay it all out. Stupid. Also, Jim has a head condition, that only arises whenever the story needs some manufactured suspense, such as; Jim is about to take out the main villain, only it’s too early for the main villain to be taken out, so Jim’s head condition kicks in, giving him a massive, debilitating headache, hence he can’t shoot the villain, hence we get another twenty minutes of movie. Contrived as hell and lame to boot.
One would think this cast, a virtual who’s who of international character actors, would be a major asset to The Gunman, alas, the use of this ensemble feels more like a missed opportunity. Penn delivers the goods dramatically, coming off as appropriately conflicted and guilt-ridden, and, as stated, he proves surprisingly capable handling the action-heavy aspects of the role. Trinca is sympathetic and exotic as Annie, bringing some needed warmth and humanity to the picture. Rylance is terrifically slimy as your rather typical, old English villain. He relishes the arrogant nastiness of this character, and he is fun to watch. Revealing him as the villain could be considered a spoiler, but it’s so obvious from the outset that he’s the bad guy, it’s practically tattooed on his forehead.
Oscar-winner Bardem is not so much a villain here as he is a drunken, obnoxious jackass, and he’s severely under-used, as is Ray Winstone, as an old chum of Jim’s from way back who comes to his aid from time to time. Both are great actors, and do fine with the material, it’s just a shame the material doesn’t give them more to do. Worst of all, though, is the casting of Idris Elba, who despite being second billed only to Penn, is completely wasted in a throwaway role that amounts to three, maybe four minutes of screen time. What is interesting, though, is that Elba is playing a Brit with the initials J.B., since his name has come up as a candidate for 007 once Daniel Craig retires from the role… accidental or not, I found it amusing.
The box office returns for The Gunman would suggest an awful movie, except it isn’t. It’s a stellar, no frills action flick that makes for an enjoyable, if entirely unmemorable, diversion. It just isn’t the sort of film that warrants a trip to the theater. Aside from the A-list dressings, it basically is the kind of straight-to-DVD thriller that gets churned out a dime a dozen. While it does feature higher production values, and better performances, than the average time-wasters you find On Demand, it really is no different from any of them. Despite its air of social importance, The Gunman is nothing more than a rainy day rental, at best.
