Sean Penn has a
somewhat humorless reputation, having proven himself unable to take jokes told
in good fun at award ceremonies and a tendency to align himself with projects
with more serious tones. Combine this with his stance in political and social
matters and it soon becomes difficult to imagine Penn involved in any type of
escapist entertainment. I don’t know if The
Gunman was adjusted to fit his sensibility or if the material was simply
weighed down by the somberness of the star, but the result is an action
thriller that is never as fun as it should be.
Much of the
movie instead feels like a vanity project for Penn to prove that he can look
the part for an action movie while simultaneously shoehorning plenty of
political cynicism and paranoia into the narrative. The time left for actual
action sequences in not nearly enough to save the film from its own
weightiness, however well choreographed or intense these brief moments are.
Action movies should be fun, and no amount of bulking up at the gym can
distract from Penn’s unwillingness to take a break from his signature scowl. Even
if the basic structure of the film holds some promise of excitement, Penn’s
control as co-screenwriter, producer and even the editing process, seems to
have drained all fun from the narrative.
Though overly
convoluted with political criticism, The
Gunman’s premise is actually rather simple. After completing a job as a
mercenary assassinating the minister of mines in the Congo Congo
This storyline
alone may have been enough to fill the screen time with exciting action and
intrigue, but far more of the screenplay is concerned with the political
reasons behind the initial assassination and an awkward love triangle. While
undercover preparing for the assassination in the Congo
Either the film
is too long or simply spends too much time on slower aspects of the storyline,
because it drags far too much for a film made by Pierre Morel (Taken, The Transporter). The cast is stacked, even including an
insignificantly small role for Idris Elba, but all characters seem to be set-up
merely to make Penn’s character look better. Despite the buildup and a huge
paycheck, Bardem plays an unimpressive and sniveling villain who comes off more
like a petulant and jealous child than a worthy adversary, and Interpol only
comes into play after Terrier has single-handedly saved the day. The film lacks
a worthy bad guy, instead choosing to vilify the political system that allows
injustice to take place. This may have suited Penn’s motives, but it sure makes
for dull viewing. It really is a shame, because the action scenes are exciting
when removed from the other 90-minutes of the film.
The Blu-ray
combo pack also comes with a DVD and Digital HD copy of the film, though there
are no special features to speak of. This seems strange, even for a film as
widely panned as this was. The only saving grace of the package is an
impressive Dolby Atmos soundtrack, which captures more excitement in the TrueHD
7.1 surround sound than the film deserves. I found myself marveling at the
sound even when the film had left me unimpressed. The high definition visuals
are also somewhat impressive, though I was far less interested in watching
countless scenes of Penn’s middle-aged muscles on display.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 5.5/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
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