The Gunman (2015)

The Gunman is a mediocre movie whose stars have all seen better days in far superior films.

The movie is reminiscent of "Taken" solely with regards to an old operative being drawn back into action for reasons. While the overly long set up pre modern day (2014) was meant to make you care about the characters, it seemed to solely foreshadow what would happen in the future. Part of the problem could be the trailer or over abundance of movies in the genre in all fairness.

Sean Penn has the physical build to play our hero, but there is an overall feeling that his performance, as well as the rest of the casts, have played this movie as by the numbers as possible.

The most criminal part of this is how Javier Bardem is wasted in his role. Scenes with him in them only highlighted the potential for this film to have broken the mould and become something more than it was. The same goes for Idris Elba, who played a role so small that it was apparent that he was cast solely so his name could appear in the opening credits.

Regarding the fight scenes and choreography, this film passes. The film has enough physical presence to pass as an action movie, fulfilling the quota for explosions without wowing the audience. I jumped once at a solitary gunshot within the movie, not out of excitement, but due to the fact it was unexpected.

This film manages to achieve its goals without wowing the audience in any way. It is a nice time at the cinema if you check your brain at the door.

Number of time I looked at my watch: 5

Recommendation: See if bored

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