Sean Penn, now 54 years of age, stars in The Gunman as a spy who "must clear his name in order to save himself from the organization that he used to work for." The new trailer shows that Penn can deliver his lines with just as much gravity as Liam Neeson does in his action movies. He also runs a little and jumps around and shoots one or more guns, all while looking deadly serious.
That (kinda) fits with the cinematic career Penn has fashioned over the past three decades, filled with deadly-serious roles that are far away from the formulaic appearance of The Gunman. To be absolutely fair, the movie itself may be a hard-hitting, socially-conscious examination of mankind's ills. Or perhaps Penn has decided that he can start making this type of movie now and again so as to fund his charitable work. I'm certainly not questioning his integrity, but the movie appears to represent a big departure from what he's done up until now, which, actually, makes it even more intriguing to me.
Javier Bardem, Idris Elba, and Ray Winstone also star. Pierre Morel (Taken) directed. The movie is due out in theaters on March 20, 2015.