Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Eight years after fleeing the Congo following his assassination of that country's minister of mining, former assassin Jim Terrier is back, suffering from PTSD and digging wells to atone for his violent past. After an attempt is made on his life, Terrier flies to London to find out who wants him dead -- and why. Terrier's search leads him to a reunion with Annie, a woman he once loved, who is now married to an oily businessman with dealings in Africa.
The Gunman is a fairly generic action-thriller that fails to distinguish itself from the crowded genre. Sean Penn brings some gravitas to the lead role, and the supporting cast (Javier Bardem, Idris Elba, Mark Rylance) elevates the material above what it deserves, but the plot is a formulaic revenge-and-redemption narrative with predictable beats and a muddled political backdrop. The cinematography is competent but unremarkable for the genre. The film offers little novelty — it follows the aging-assassin-drawn-back-in template closely, and the PTSD subplot feels underdeveloped. The climax set in a bullring is a mildly interesting visual choice but the resolution is rushed and unsatisfying. Overall a middling effort that wastes a talented ensemble.