Saw it, better than expected - The Gunman (2015) Discussion

[–] mystic-hawk 9 years ago

It is better - or at least more satisfying - than general consensus would have you believe! I mean, the plot is kind of a mess; politics overwhelm the story, not much is made of Penn's disease, most developments are extremely predictable, and the love triangle is kind of poorly handled to begin with. Yet, the movie works. Penn suits the part and was frankly believable - both physically and in how he carries himself. I liked Bardem, thought he sold the whole lunatic thing well. Trinca, Winstone and specially Rylance (who really should do more movies) do very well. Again, not the most extraordinary film, but I liked it well enough.

I'll bet she's still got that silver dollar.

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[–] 9 years ago

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[–] mystic-hawk 9 years ago

Why are people here so hung up on ratings? I think it's 'good' too and I give it a 4! All that means is there are six levels of 'good' above it. I reserve my 1s for films I dislike.

I'll bet she's still got that silver dollar.

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[–] 9 years ago

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[–] Hemorrhage911 9 years ago

No, it really shouldn't be subjective. If you're going to have EVERYTHING GOOD a 7 and above, you might as well stick to a 5 star rating.

5 is an average movie, everything below is a degree of bad and everything above is a degree of good.

This is why IMDB ratings are terrible. Everything people watch these days, if it is slightly entertaining/average, they give it a 7 or 8.

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[–] 9 years ago

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[–] davidovar34 9 years ago

Rofl, I also found that weird. I'd say 7.5/10.
I enjoyed it, it was a good popcorn flick.

''They are shaping me into something gaudy. Something lethal.''

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[–] soldier_one_2 9 years ago

"Not much is made of Penn's disease". Not having a go, kiddo. But... the doctor summed it all up. That's all we needed to know really. Just saying ;)

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[–] RynoII 8 years ago

I think I give it a 5 around. I just feel like this has been done so many times before. The assassin gone good. It's so cliche by this point.

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[–] RynoII 8 years ago

I think I give it a 5 around. I just feel like this has been done so many times before. The assassin gone good. It's so cliche by this point.

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[–] hema6662003 9 years ago

i liked and give it 7\10...
maybe it was needed more action scenes.

i went to see INCEPTION 5 times... !!!

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[–] screen14 9 years ago

The trailer would have you think there's more action than the movie really has, but where there wasn't action, there was a good story and some great performances. The drama and action is well balanced throughout the film, and Sean proves he is the perfect man to carry it. I also liked the production design and set locations--all were well thought out. In comparison to Taken, I think The Gunman is a step up - the direction is more skilled.

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[–] hammerbutt 9 years ago

They needed to explain Penn's characters motivation a bit better it wasn't clear why he taped that conversation or kept those records since he clearly didn't have a problem with being an assasin

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[–] Binkconn 9 years ago

I thought the whole assassination was supposed to weigh on him emotionally, and perhaps even contribute to his brain trauma.

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[–] 5535 9 years ago

I think this was just a precaution in case anyone ever tried to screw him or frame him etc. He's a pro, and was just covering his ass.

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[–] shoobe01-1 8 years ago

Explained several times that it's because his brain has been failing for years. He didn't think it was a disease, just the way he was, so he takes notes to not forget operational details.

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[–] pjpoconnell 9 years ago

"Not much action" in this movie! You gotta be kidding me! It's nothing but! Do the body count, dude!

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[–] joekiddlouischama 9 years ago

I viewed it today, and the movie is indeed better than the IMDb rating or the review that I read would lead one to believe. The film is nothing special and it has its flaws (especially the denouement), but it is an effective action-thriller with some powerhouse actors, Penn is credible in the role, and there is a fair amount of intrigue and suspense. The Gunman is ultimately pretty conventional and not the kind of film that leaves you thinking too much after walking out of the theater, but at least it gives you entertainment value for your dollar while in the theater.

Let's put it this way: it could have been worse.

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[–] activista 9 years ago

I wouldn't say it's "nothing special----I saw THE GUNMAN last week, and it was a pretty damn good action drama pic---the only thing unique about it being the fact that Penn's character has something that might keep him from doing what he has to do. I wished Javier Bardem (who looked and sounded great as usual) had been in the film longer, and it was cool to see Idris Elba (speaking with his actual British accent for a change.) Good mix of both action,drama and a little romance---it was better than I thought it was going to be, considering that I hadn't even planned to see it----I wanted to take my friend to see RUN ALL NIGHT, but it only had a morning showing. I figured if Sean Penn was in it, it might be worth seeing, and I was right----it was worth seeing,especially if you love spy action thrillers, like I do.

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[–] feelinesound 8 years ago

Heh yes, I don't know what the hell is going on with people, it seems many have been a bit brain-fried by ridiculous shoot'em ups like Transporter and Expendables or what not, realism is irrelevant.

I think about two thirds of the movie was non-stop action?

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[–] jude-75 8 years ago

I loved it! I had to stop thinking about Taken, quickly realizing that it would not be this film.

It was actually kind of a Hitchcock homage (yes, really!) with gripping action scenes. The movie is greatly paced, simple but well written plot with a lot of subplots (his character for example was surprisingly deep and unconventional). It has a really old school vibe, with oh my god, actual really long but good talking scenes. The dialogue between the bad guy and Jim in the basement is I think the best scene of the whole movie.

This will age nicely.

Spoiler alert: Kylo Ren is BS

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[–] Eldo7777 8 years ago

Just saw it on Netflix.It was better than I expected,too.I rated it a 6.
Really good photography and a halfway decent story.Pretty good acting,too.

However, I am confused by the comments about no action. Really? What kind of action junkies are you people? Penn killed somewhere between 10 and 15 people in this movie.Some by gun, some by knife and a couple barehanded. And the people chasing him all over the place killed at least 5 more.Blood all over the place.
Explosions!Jesus, How much action do you need? Would 4 or 5 car chases and ANOTHER blown up building or two have helped any?

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[–] 8 years ago

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