Nicholas Levintow

By every measure this is an awful film which reflects poorly on the artistic choices of its otherwise gifted cast (Penn, Elba, Rylance, Bardem). The Gunman portrays the Anglo male as both the savior and bane of Sub-Saharan Africa, fomenting chaos and human misery to extract its natural resources, while simultaneously showing the helpless African how to drill for water, build airstrips, deliver health care, etc. The scenes in the refugee camp of the expat NGO staff struggling through burnout to save lives while the indigenous IDPs busy themselves with their washing are contemptible. Same with the bed scenes depicting the playful and caring side of the..oops..mercenary ex-Special Forces operative who wields his other long gun as a murderous phallus. In a world where the masturbatory fantasies of Hollywood power brokers make all the calls, this is all you can expect. Particular shame on you Sean Penn who knows first hand from his work in Haiti the immense harm done by sustaining these toxic colonialist tropes.