The Gunman Blu-ray Review

"The Gunman" arrives on Blu-ray with an impressive 1080p AVC MPEG-4 transfer, providing a crisp and engaging viewing experience. The digital photography maintains a healthy, organic appearance with great colors and strong details throughout. The color palette is vibrant yet natural, highlighting everything from lush greens to earth tones and vivid blue, red, and yellow accents. Despite a compressed color palette, the visuals remain striking with accurate and warm skin tones. Black levels are generally deep but not overpowering, though there are occasional instances of slight banding in dark scenes. However, these minor flaws don't detract from the overall picture quality.

Detail reproduction is exceptional, capturing every skin imperfection, bead of sweat, and subtleties like bulging veins with near-tactile realism. The clarity extends to various textures encountered in the film, such as terrains, clothes, building facades, worn machinery, and firearms. Gritty atmospheres, particularly in scenes featuring underground sewer tunnels, are rendered rich in detail. Night sequences maintain strong resolution without succumbing to noise degradation. The 2.40:1 aspect ratio ensures a cinematic experience, showcasing bold and saturated colors that emphasize the film's diverse foreign locations. In summary, this Blu-ray release delivers a highly commendable video presentation that will satisfy viewers looking for meticulous visual fidelity.

The audio presentation of "The Gunman" on Blu-ray is a robust and dynamic experience, notably featuring a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. This review considers the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core for evaluation. Despite lacking the overhead immersion that the best Atmos tracks provide, it nonetheless delivers an engaging and vibrant sonic environment. The track excels in creating a natural sense of spatial immersion from ambient effects to intense gunfights. The weight of each shot is palpable with a substantial low-end impact that elevates the tension and realism of every action scene. Other sound effects, such as punches and crashes, benefit from precise placement and definition.

The audio mix bursts with supportive elements that enrich the auditory space, filling it convincingly from side to side and front to back. Subtle sounds like background restaurant chatter or zipping traffic are rendered with a tangible lifeblood, enhancing the ambiance. The music is clearly defined across the sonic spectrum, enjoying a balanced bass support that enriches the overall auditory experience. Dialogue remains consistently clear and focused in the center channel, ensuring effortless intelligibility throughout the film.

While "The Gunman" might not achieve the reference quality seen in benchmark Atmos tracks like "Gravity," it remains a highly competent mix. The sound design offers a pleasing balance between loud action sequences and quieter, more nuanced moments, bolstered by tight and punchy LFE during gunshots and explosions. Despite some minor quibbles regarding the immersive depth and variety, this presentation will satisfy most audio enthusiasts, particularly those with 5.1 or 7.1 setups. Overall, it's a polished and immersive listening experience, fitting for an action-packed narrative like "The Gunman."

The Blu-ray release of "The Gunman" comes with a limited selection of Extras, primarily focusing on promotional trailers of other films. Each included trailer provides a glimpse into various genres, ranging from intense thrillers to action-packed dramas, perhaps offering viewers additional titles of interest. Notably, the disc also includes a DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy, enhancing accessibility across different formats. The overall lack of in-depth special features or behind-the-scenes content is a missing opportunity for fans seeking more insight into the making of the film.

Extras included in this disc:

• Trailers: Promotional clips for Rosewater, Nightcrawler, Sabotage, Homefront, End of Watch, Hit & Run, The Grey, and Killer Elite.
• DVD Copy: Standard definition version of the film.
• UV/iTunes Digital Copy Voucher: Allows digital download and streaming access.

Pierre Morel, acclaimed director of the taut, action-packed Taken, makes a return to the genre with The Gunman. This film stars Sean Penn as Jim Terrier, a black ops assassin operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Set against a backdrop of political upheaval, Terrier executes a mission that spirals his life into chaos, ultimately forcing him on the run. Eight years later, Jim seeks atonement while working on humanitarian projects in the DRC, only to be hunted by past enemies. The premise holds promise but falters under the weight of a convoluted plot and lackluster storytelling. Technical merits in Penn’s physical performance and action sequences provide visual interest but fail to compensate for the movie’s overarching structural deficiencies.

The narrative weaves together elements of political intrigue, an assassin’s quest for redemption, and a complicated love triangle involving Jim’s former lover, Annie (Jasmine Trinca), now married to his colleague, Felix (Javier Bardem). However, The Gunman struggles to balance these aspects, often halting its own momentum to delve into disparate subplots. The focus on Jim’s post-concussion syndrome provides moments of auditory engagement but feels inconsistently tied to the primary narrative. The film introduces significant themes like corporate exploitation and the ramifications of political assassinations but fails to fully explore them within its storyline.

Despite boasting a star-studded cast including powerhouse performances by Penn, Bardem, Ray Winstone, and a brief appearance by Idris Elba, the characters largely remain one-dimensional due to a script burdened with clichés and underdeveloped arcs. The movie's setting in picturesque global locales contrasts sharply with its murky central narrative. In sum, The Gunman offers engaging sequences and potent performances but is hampered by an incoherent storyline and lackluster character development, rendering it a disjointed addition to Morel’s filmography.

"The Gunman," starring Sean Penn, attempts to blend a political thriller with an action-driven narrative but ultimately stumbles in its execution. The film juggles elements of Euro-Thriller, a love triangle subplot, and political commentary but fails to cohesively integrate these themes, leading to an uneven viewing experience. While it has intriguing moments, such as the final act's shootout juxtaposed with a bullfight, these glimpses of creativity are overshadowed by a myriad of action clichés and underdeveloped characters. Despite its ambitions, the movie falls into familiar territory, providing nothing particularly novel or engaging.

In terms of Blu-ray quality, "The Gunman" excels in delivering high-quality video and audio performance. The visuals are crisp, and the sound design, featuring a Dolby Atmos mix, provides an immersive experience that enhances the on-screen action. However, despite these technical strengths, the Blu-ray falls short in offering comprehensive value due to its lack of special features. Demonstration-worthy status is not quite achieved, which is often a hallmark for action thrillers on Blu-ray. This leaves the disc as an attractive option primarily for existing fans of the film rather than compelling new viewers to make a purchase.

In conclusion, "The Gunman" teases with potential but ultimately doesn't deliver a memorable experience. The scattered narrative struggles to find its footing amidst a blend of underwhelming genres. While Universal's Blu-ray release boasts excellent audio-visual quality, its lack of additional content makes it more suitable for a rental rather than a buy. For those already captivated by the film, this package meets basic expectations, but general audiences are better off exploring other options in the genre.