Synopsis

Jim Terrier (Penn) works as a security operative protecting humanitarian missions from the civil war in Congo. But he has a secret mandate as well. He and two others are given an assassination mission in which one shooter must kill the Minister of Mining. The catch is the killer must then leave the country. Terrier draws the short straw and after the mission he is forced to disappear and abandon his girlfriend Annie (Trinca).

Eight years later he’s retired and working on a well-drilling project when three men show up and try to kill him. He goes on the run in an attempt to solve the mystery of who wants him dead. Information brings him to Spain where he is reunited with his love just as a squad of soldiers arrive. In the end it’s Terrier versus an army of elite hit-men and he must overcome impossible odds to survive.

Specifications
Universal
2015, Color, Rated R, 1 Hr 56 mins
Dolby Atmos, 2.40:1 Aspect Ratio
Starring: Sean Penn, Idris Elba, Jasmine Trinca
Directed by Pierre Morel

Rating

Entertainment:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:

Violence: Yes
Sex: Brief
Language: Yes

Commentary

This is a good popcorn action flick and Sean Penn makes for a decent hero thanks to a gravelly voice and some impressive muscular definition. The odds are against him the whole time not just because his enemies are ruthless but he also has to deal with a debilitating brain condition that affects memory. The bad guys are equally entertaining, one of whom is played by Javier Bardem. He brings his trademark craziness to the part and I was actually disappointed when he met his end.

Plot-wise there is nothing new here. The hunter becoming the hunted is a story that has been told many times. Occasionally it was a little challenging to follow the action thanks to mumbling actors with heavy accents. But it was just engaging enough to entertain though I’m not sure I’d watch the film more than once. It’s definitely worth a rental however.

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Technical

The image is quite striking with a saturated color palette and deep warm hues. Clarity and definition are at reference-level as is contrast. The detail in skin textures is so clean you can almost feel it. And fast-action scenes maintain their resolution without excess blur or blocking.

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The main audio encode is Dolby Atmos so when I played the disc on my 5.1 system the indicator said “Dolby TrueHD”. It sounded fantastic in every way but seemed a little harsh at times. The base volume level was a touch louder than most releases and I had to turn the knob down a bit to take the edge off. I also felt the soundstage was merely adequate and did not benefit from the Atmos mix. Overall it’s a solid presentation.

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Extras

There are no bonus features save a few trailers along with DVD and digital copies of the film.

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