'The Gunman' is an expression of malcontent

City Paper grade: B-

Liam Neeson has proven the rejuvenating effect that an action-thriller can have on an aging actor's career with Pierre Moler's Taken franchise. Moler seems to be hoping for lighting to strike twice with The Gunman, starring Sean Penn. Loosely based on Jean-Patrick Manchette's novel, The Gunman follows Jim Terrier (Penn), an ex-special forces government contractor hoping to forget his blood spattered past, until a botched assassination leads him on a convoluted trans European hunt for his mysterious enemy. Penn seizes every opportunity to take his shirt off, showing off his new shredded physique in between dispatching, shooting, stabbing, and exploding every bad guy he makes eye contact with. The predictable screenplay falls flat at moments and it takes a significant amount of time for the story to gain traction, yet there are some redeeming qualities. An award winning supporting cast including Javier Bardem, Mark Rylance, Ray Winstone, and Idris Elba add quality acting to the mix and exceptional fight choreography helps keep the story from getting stale. It's hard to tell whether The Gunman will catapult Penn into action hero glory, but shirt or no shirt, he still kicks some serious henchman ass in this socially conscious, violent action thriller.