Review of The Gunman (2015) by Danielgreen — 20 Mar 2015

It's unfair to say "The Gunman" is a bad film. After all, it's expertly shot, scored and edited. The actors authentically portray their characters and Sean Penn, expectedly, is exceptional as Jim Terrier. The plot is credible once we accept that, like most movies, it's a work of fiction. Yet "The Gunman" still fails on a thematic level. It's major problem is that it lacks focus. It attempts to provide a character study within the context of a political thriller through the convention of an action film.

A brief summary is necessary: Jim Terrier works for a private security company that is part of a conspiracy network to assassinate unfriendly political officials in developing countries. So, the company orders Terrier to murder a political official, which he does, and he then flees the country. Several years later Terrier feels remorseful and then tries to redeem himself through honorable non-profit work. Yet, his life is then threatened and he uses his special operations skills to identify and shatter the conspiracy network that is behind it.

In the process, he confronts a jealous friend and a former girlfriend that still loves him but feels betrayed by his earlier abandonment. Simultaneously, American congressmen and INTERPOL investigate the now esteemed private security company over its alleged past misdeeds. Because by representing the financial interests of its clients, it instigated and compounded the problems that plagued the developing country, in this case the DRC, insofar as resource exploitation, government corruption and civil war are concerned. It's implied that developing countries continue to be exploited by financial interests that rely on private military contractors to resolve their political problems.

I commend "The Gunman" for its ambitions and for presenting a restrained yet suspenseful action thriller. But because it attempts to tackle all of the themes above, it fails in successfully addressing any of them. So, the viewer leaves the theatre apathetic and confused. He asks, what exactly is the point of this movie? And unfortunately, one can't use the excuse that ambiguity is its point and justify it on the principle that its dealing with complex matters.

In "The Gunman", Sean Penn, as lead actor, co-writer and producer, attempted to use the action genre to create a more serious and meaningful film. And yes, it's more interesting, credible and substantive than "The Equalizer" or "John Wick." But unfortunately, his attempt failed and the film, if anything, is disappointing.