The Gunman
Those hoping for the nextTakenwill be disappointed by the slow-burn character piece that isThe Gunman.
The Gunmanfollows special functional Jim Terrier ( Sean Penn ) , a hardened warrior who nonetheless finds a lenient spot for humanistic doctor Annie ( Jasmine Trinca ) while on assigning in the Congo . The Latinian language is short - live , however , as Jim is arrange to assassinate a salient penis of the Congo government . After carrying out the smasher , Jim take flight the country , turning his back on Annie .
Eight twelvemonth later , while back in the Congo attempt to atone for his sin , Jim is direct for character assassination himself . On the lamb and with few friends , he heads to Europe to track down his former partners - or else finding honest-to-goodness war dogs like Cox ( Mark Rylance ) and Felix ( Javier Bardem ) now bear suits and fighting on much dissimilar battlefields . Jim soon realizes that returning to the direction of the gunman is not a dim-witted affair - nor is reclaiming the life and love with Annie that he left behind .
The novel film in the " Geriaction " submarine - genre , made by the same homo who arguably pop out the trend ( Takendirector Pierre Morel ) - it is in fact inaccurate to callThe Gunmanan natural action movie , at all . What we get rather is more of a brood character drama with action segments , and the end solution is a somewhat lackluster cinematic experience . In short : Those hope for the nextTakenwill be let down by the slow - burning character composition that isThe Gunman .
From a directorial standpoint , Morel shows off some clear cinematic vision that turns an action film into something that is ( visually speaking ) more artistic and nuanced than your median moving picture in the genre . Besides visual metaphor and iconography , the few action scenes in the film do grapple to retake the nonrational energizing thrills of the originalTaken- this clock time in full Rated - universal gas constant savagery . The motion-picture photography by Flavio Martínez Labiano ( obscure , Non - stopover ) is vibrant and crisp , and is generally make full with colors and imagery that will be captivating to the heart .
regrettably , a lot of the positive momentum on the directorial front is miss by Don MacPherson ( The Avengers -1998 version ) and Pete Travis ' ( director ofDredd ) script adjustment of the novel by Jean - Patrick Manchette . Simply put , the relatively inexperient pair of screenwriters do n’t do enough study distil the novel into an easily tangible and streamlined film . The Gunman ’s storyline ( and later the film itself ) is smothered by an superabundance of plot threads that make it operose to readily compilation - or even amply understand - the declamatory relevance and sonority of events taking place onscreen . The worlds of geo - political sympathies , espionage , and humanitarian aid are all interracial together - each with esoteric patois and politics - making it that much hard for the viewer to sift through event and developments for import and intellect . Bottom line : there ’s too much fat of the novel crammed into the slimmer fit of a screenplay .
The self-aggrandizing stumble , however , is the surprising lack of legal action and pacing in the flick . While many will come up expecting the nextTaken , The Gunmanis alternatively methodically slow in its buildup to and doling out of natural action . While Morel does pluck off some thrilling sequences , these sequence can be counted on one hand ( only three big ones , really ) , and are deliver only after long stretch of much slower plot of ground and fictitious character ontogenesis . Odder yet : when the action does come about , it tends to be jarringly brutal in a way that seems at odds with the more artistic sensibilities the flick exhibits . Even when viscerally solid , there ’s nothing all that innovative in term of sequence , but Penn and Co. do commit to make the battle view and shootouts play well .
WhileThe Gunmanhas an unmistakable lineup of talent in its casting , those cast members are also put to somewhat curious economic consumption . Penn seems to be in three unlike films ( natural process / thriller , love fib , medical play ) , hit it concentrated to shape a coherent and engaging performance . The film seems to be at arm ’s length from Jim Terrier , or perhaps just from Penn , who - even when his intention is clear - seems emotionally distant from the viewer .
Javier Bardem seems to be perpetrate the same form of character he play inThe Counselor , and his performance is just as over - the - top . The moving-picture show does n’t seem to know what to make of Felix , so there are small returns on the investing of screen fourth dimension Bardem gets . turn a loss in that vague middle with him is Jasmine Trinca ’s Annie - a brushstroke origination that ’s supposedly important , but role more as a patch gimmick , piled in with the turgid espionage / mystery plotline . Nonetheless , Trinca carries what is given , and even achieves a suitable spark with Penn .
A substantial lineup of character actors satiate out the supporting persona , even if the part themselves are slight . Idris Elba ’s Interpol federal agent character barely factors in at all , while Ray Winstone ( Noah ) and Mark Rylance ( Bing ) properly ground some of the stereotypical activity / mystery movie character archetypes . Other faces - same Finnish superstar Peter Franzén - get and go in bit part appearances , but still bring gravitas to the picture show where they can .
Ray Winstone and Sean Penn in ‘The Gunman’
In the last , The Gunmanis much more of a character dramatic play than a spiritual successor toTaken . While the filmmaking is solid , the storytelling is excessively convolute and not at all piquant . For most people fall to the theater hoping for the sort of virtuoso - power action piece the trailers promise , this will be a accelerator pedal fight that only ends one direction : in dashing hopes .
TRAILER
The Gunmanis now in house . It is 115 minutes long and is Rated R for potent vehemence , language and some sex .
Sean Penn in ‘The Gunman’
Javier Bardem, Sean Penn and Jasmine Trinca in ‘The Gunman’
