The Gunman

The Gunman, directed by Pierre Morel, is set in various locations around the world, stunts staged in the middle of London’s CBD, nightclubs in Buenos Aires, jungles in Africa and Barcelona night-time streets, all giving it the feel of a Bond film. Sean Penn plays the spy Jim Terrier, who desperately needs to clear his name to avoid getting killed. He’s joined by little-known Italian actress Jasmine Trinca as well as the endlessly terrifying and creepy Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men).

This film has all the necessary elements of a successful action thriller, Penn as protagonist showing exceptional range in his relationship with Bardem, which heads south at the beginning of the film. It’s a risk putting someone like Penn into a heavily physical role in a thriller film, given his age and lack of background doing stunts, but it pays off. The psychological suspense built between Bardem and Penn, coupled with how much money has been spent on stunts and location shooting, makes for an enjoyable, harrowing experience. What lets this film down in the end is a lack of originality in the plot. Without the award-winning actors, millions of dollars’ worth of explosions and exotic location choices, it remains a film about an ex-agent with a price on his head, which we’ve all seen over and over again.