Sean Penn in a Badass Action Hero Role in “THE GUNMAN”
Veering away
from formulaic action thrillers known to audiences worldwide, Sean Penn and
director Pierre Morel (“Taken”) amps and reinvigorates the action genre in the
upcoming badass movie “The Gunman.”
“The Gunman” apart from being
helmed by Morel, known for launching the highly-acclaimed “Taken” franchise
which made Liam Neeson a worldwide badass action hero, is also written by Peter
Travis, Don McPherson and Sean Penn.
Penn takes on the role of Jim
Terrier in “The Gunman,” an ex-special forces government contractor who is
hailed as the best in his league but also bears a questionable past. Now working as a humanitarian with an NGO
trying to make a better life and redeem himself. But Jim’s past soon catches up when
associates from his past come back to hunt and kill him.
Based on the acclaimed French
novel, “The Prone Gunman” written in the eightees by Jean-Patrick Manchette,
the producers were attracted by the aura of action-focused film noir where men
like Jim exist. “The book had the basics
of a classic thriller and although the script brings the action up to date,
there is grounding in reality. I’m not
interested in Superman. I like to work
with human beings, with their flaws.
Terrier is real, and he has limitations,” notes director Morel.
About his lead actor, Morel
says, “Often, action films lack deep thoughtful characters but Sean’s body of
work is so interesting that casting him immediately makes the story more
dense. Once actors of his stature decide
to engage in this genre, like Liam Neeson in ‘Taken,’ they want to do things
for themselves. They want to go all the
way for the character, and I encourage this.
I don’t think an audience can be fooled any more. Sean trained for hours every day, from
preproduction throughout the shoot, and that adds another layer of intensity to
the role.”
Penn who has devoted time to
humanitarian works especially in Haiti says that “The Gunman” is a very human
story, “The territory that the story inhabits is a pretty high octane
environment. You are taking someone
coming out of the elite forces, basically a high performing athlete who has had
a career full of hits, and putting him into another league to do it all again
as a contractor, or mercenary, when he retires from the forces. What happens next is inherently interesting
and can be very moving. I’ve met people
like Jim, conflicted characters on the front line, and that informs the
dialogue and the action. We have a whole
new breed of war heroes who go on to continue in the same line of work, outside
the forces,” shares Penn.
“The Gunman is full of things
you’ve never seen before. I always like
to do things that are fresh and original,” says producer Andrew Rona. “This has romance, and an action character
pulled back into a world he has left. It
is full of twists and turns. A good
story, good characters, a strong movie star surrounded by an interesting cast,
a good director, a talented crew and a great city,” concludes Rona of “The
Gunman.”
Prepare for this year’s unique
action movie to open this year when “The Gunman” opens March 18 in cinemas
across the Phils. from OctoArts Films International.
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