The Gunman

Eight years have passed since Jim Terrier, once a hired killer in the Congo, disappeared after assassinating the mining minister. He now leads a quiet, guilt ridden life, digging wells and trying to atone for his violent past. When someone fires on him, Terrier leaves his isolated routine and hunts down the source of the threat. His investigation pulls him into a web of interests that stretch from Africa to Europe and beyond. In London he finds more questions than answers and meets people who knew him back when. One reunion is especially complicated, as Annie, a woman he cared for, is now married to a slick businessman with Africa connections.

Directed by Pierre Morel, The Gunman released in 2015 and is adapted from Jean-Patrick Manchette's The Prone Gunman. The film stars Sean Penn as Jim Terrier with Jasmine Trinca, Javier Bardem, Ray Winstone and Mark Rylance in supporting roles. The production aims for a globe trotting feel, mixing terse dialogue with practical stunt work and a grounded, no frills aesthetic.

Budgeted at 40 million dollars, the movie grossed about 13.6 million worldwide, a modest return given its glossy production and international cast. It opened in several markets with limited fanfare and faced stiff competition from bigger action franchises, which limited its momentum.

Critics offered mixed reviews, with praise for Penn's steady moral resolve and Bardem's poised menace, while some found the plot predictable and the pacing uneven. The film probes guilt and the long shadow violence casts on personal life and global crime networks. It also raises questions about private power and the cost of pursuing truth.

It did not leave a lasting footprint on popular culture, but it sits among mid range European backed action dramas that mix suspense with political echoes. Scenes of covert operations and the moral ambiguity of private interests in Africa add to how it is discussed inside the genre. For fans of the star cast it is a solid, not essential, entry in the spy thriller shelf that lingers in the mind about the price of power.