Sean Penn is known for being picky and a bit idiosyncratic with his movie roles, generally avoiding typical Hollywood fare, but there’s no doubt The Gunman doesn’t sound like anything particularly unusual. Let’s hope the great cast – which includes Javier Bardem, Idris Elba, Ray Winstone and Mark Rylance – can raise it above the generic.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘In THE GUNMAN, directed by Pierre Morel, Sean Penn stars as a former Special Forces soldier and military contractor suffering from PTSD. He tries to reconnect with his long time love, but first must go on the run from London to Barcelona and across Europe in order to clear his name.’

The suggestion of PTSD may explain what attract Penn, allowing him to stretch his acting muscles more than most assassin tales.

The Gunman hits UK cinemas on 20th March. [Read more…]

The Gunman certainly has a great cast, led by Sean Penn alongside Javier Bardem, Idris Elba, Ray Winstone and Mark Rylance. Indeed getting such a cast of luminaries together is surprising as the plot makes it sound like pretty standard stuff – hopefully the film itself will offer something more.

Pierre Morel (Taken) directs based on the novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Deadly professional assassin Martin Terrier returns to Paris after his latest job determined to get out of the game. Ten years ago he made a promise to return to his childhood sweetheart in the south of France. But circumstances put Martin’s attempted retirement on hold: a key target is flying in to Paris, and there is only one man fit for the task of eliminating him. As Martin flees southwards, desperate to return to the crushing mediocrity of life in a backwater town, he finds his former employers will stop at nothing to regain his services for one last job. Bursting with Gallic irony and visceral brutality, The Gunman (originally published in English as The Prone Gunman) is a shocking and sardonic masterpiece from the late, great master of the French crime novel, J-P Manchette.’

A February 20th UK release is set, and it’ll arrive in the US March 30th. [Read more…]