39
Metascore
41 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 60EmpireEmpireSub-Ludlum plotting but stylishly executed, this offers a fun night out but is far from a nailed-on franchise-starter.
- 58Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyEntertainment WeeklyChris NashawatySean Penn doesn’t make movies very often these days. So when he does, you go in with certain expectations. Sadly, it’s best to leave them at the concession stand if you’re planning on enjoying The Gunman.
- 50Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekVillage VoiceStephanie ZacharekPenn’s vanity — both in the way he shows off his bod and in the way he drives home the nobility of the once-wayward Terrier — is either the most deeply annoying thing about The Gunman, or the one thing in it that actually works. I’m leaning toward the latter.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinThe Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinRipe, borderline hammy turns from Javier Bardem, Ray Winstone, Idris Elba and Mark Rylance add some spice.
- 40Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganScreen DailyFionnuala HalliganA muddled bid for political relevance has led the film-makers to drag on The Gunman’s primary mission: to entertain.
- 40Total FilmJames MottramTotal FilmJames MottramA genuine disappointment, given the talent involved, and a rare misstep for Penn, who can’t save this moribund vanity project from flatlining.
- 40Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonTime Out LondonTom HuddlestonThanks to ‘Taken’ director Pierre Morel, this too often feels like just another slice of brainless Eurotrash, packed with saw-it-coming plot twists, half-hearted car chases and an angsty hero with mega muscles and zero charisma.
- 38Slant MagazineChris CabinSlant MagazineChris CabinThe lack of any visual ingenuity, reflexivity, or awareness of genre tropes diminishes the intermittent pleasures of the action's slightly involving kineticism.
- 35TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeIt’s one thing to bring a gravelly gravitas to characters like this, but Penn suffers and glowers so much that it weighs down the material. If he plans to strap on the Kevlar in future, he might consider lightening up a little and saving the intensity for more serious movies.