The Gunman in cinema: Sean Penn as a muscle-bound ex-mercenary – STERN

S ean Penn has made quite rare in recent years. There were small and medium-sized roles in movies like “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, the enigmatic “The Tree of Life”, performances in works like “Gangster Squad”. Really a sensation but the US actor made last with his Oscar-winning performance in Gus Van Sant’s “Milk” (2008). Now Penn announces, who also works as a director (“Into the Wild”) having a major role back, in which he also now and then must show that he has everything on it. In “The Gunman” Penn is a former mercenary, the catches his antecedents with all brutality.

By and by old-fashioned

Jim Terriers (Sean Penn) previous Vita is not very glorious. For years he has been hired as a mercenary in Africa, until he, who is also a trained sniper, to assassinate the Minister of Mines of the Congo. After this fact must Terrier, because we get to know supporting smoking and Schnauzer, not only Africa, but also to leave his mistress. Eight years later, the Schnauzer is from, also builds Terrier now again in the Congo, fountain for a charity, probably to wash a little pure from all his sins.

The past but she is merciless. In the form of death squads, it will seek Terrier. Just only he can survive. And wants to find out with the help of old friends, who seeks his life. A dangerous quest that is made more difficult by the fact that Terrier suffers mysterious vertigo and memory loss.

“The Gunman” is a thoroughly old-fashioned work, the titles over movie posters (“Armed with the truth “, armed with the truth) and a rather old-fashioned story up to the curious name of the main character (Terrier!). While there are political overtones, but usually threatening to disappear in Action throng; the film takes itself more seriously than he should perhaps be a little more irony would certainly have done well.

Brutal men-against-men movie

anachronistic at best sense of the word seems to a successful scene with Idris Elba (“Prometheus”), the rather late in the film, and then only briefly chiming: Penn and Elba on a park bench with a really pretty, really cool cigarette break. “The Gunman” is a sometimes very brutal men-against-Men movie, at best, happen in the women on the edge. Terriers love (played by the Italian Jasmine Trinca) as is applied so under complex that it almost borders on misogyny.

The best works of film as a star vehicle, as a platform for Sean Penn, who again presented here in a veritable star. Not least of soon 55 years old performer amazes with a body on which the muscle mountains just as towers. It’s been a while that Penn was able to show in the movie, how much physical presence he can offer if necessary. Although his performance is not always completely free from (probably) unwanted comedy.

In any case, remarkable is the discharged in a Spanish bullring finale that at all drama and seriousness also so something like irony permits. Possible interpretation: Terrier respectively Penn as the invincible, indomitable bull. Despite the criticism of “The Gunman” finally is just nice to see once again as much from Sean Penn in a movie.