The Gunman - C

Rated R, 115 minutes
Wes's Grade: C

Bloody, tense spy drama "The Gunman" feels very familiar

The muddled, violent new Sean Penn spy drama "The Gunman" is based on a novel "The Prone Gunman" by Jean-Patrick Manchette, but it feels more like a bloodier, older Jason Bourne. The very muscular Penn (in superhero shape here) is good enough with a gun, but someone seems to have shot holes in the plot. An international operative named Jim Terrier (Sean Penn) wants out of the game, so he can settle down with his longtime love (Jasmine Trenca). The organization he works for has other plans in mind, and he is forced to go on the run across Europe. Directed by Pierre Morel ("Taken") and co-written by Don MacPherson and Pete Travis, "The Gunman" is a mildly entertaining but disorganized and predictable action film that seems like two movies spliced together. The first part is more of a character-driven film, the second half a bloody action film that gets lost in all the blood; it also has a cast it doesn't do much with, including Oscar-winners Penn and in a smallish role, Javier Bardem, whose fate you can probably predict from the first frames of the film. It also wastes two terrific character actors in Ray Winstone, who adds some charm to the downbeat movie, and especially Idris Elba, who has all but a couple of scenes and a couple of lines of dialogue late in the film. Morel, who also directed the original French action film "District 13" and who started as a cinematographer, handles the blood and action well, but can't seem to piece together an interesting story or characters to make it truly memorable (I'm still completely unsure as to why Penn's character was on the run in the first place). The otherwise forgettable "The Gunman" was much better done when it was called "The Bourne Identity" and starred Matt Damon. As much as I like Penn, I'd skip this one and watch Bourne instead.