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A young American woman goes on an unlikely odyssey in Sicily. It's slow and not particularly interesting, but just about keeps your attention. The story meanders along, teasing possibilities, until it reaches the main event. It's hard to believe the protagonist goes along with what follows, it's harder still to root for her or anyone as the amoral drama escalates. You can see the ending coming the moment the final act begins. Decedent cinematography and music keep you engaged, although Palermo could have been exploited to better effect. Like so many modern films, does little more than pass the time.

"They're going to come for us, we've got to go. Now."

This comes from Pierre Morel, director of the excellent Taken - which went on to redefine Liam Neeson's career. It also invented the 'geriaction' genre, to which this film contributes. (Morel followed it up with the underrated, Peppermint.)

As with Taken, we have an older hero with a past, which the film opens with. Sean Penn is ex-special forces, now a member of a Congo-based mercenary group, in love with an aid worker, on a final mission. But there are complications as various tensions overlap.

Eight years later, Penn is has undergone a puritanical transformation and is working for an NGO. Life seems good, but someone's out to kill him. Other members of his old team have been targeted and he must reconnect with old buddies, first in London, then in Barcelona.

The action scenes are very good with well executed, non-gimmicky set pieces. The film aims for realism, nothing ridiculous happens. The health issue plot is slightly annoying, feeling like it's holding up progress. From the start, there's a slightly spoon-fed political tone, presumably to add some depth to the action, but this doesn't distract. The drama and performances support the action well, as does the music score, which gives the film an emotional grounding.

The cast is excellent. Penn does the physical stuff well and looks the part (shirt off for half the film). Mark Rylance is his gnarly and cynical boss, Javier Bardem the unstable nemesis, Ray Winstone a reliable old friend. Idris Elba is strangely underused as an Interpol agent, Jasmine Trinca is an engaging love interest. There's also a rather nice Alfa Romeo.

I assume a sequel was intended, but it flopped, not even covering its budget. That's a shame as it's far better than most action films that are routinely churned out. Away from James Bond, Mission: Impossible and Bourne, this is up there with the best. Highly recommend.

A flop that is so daft, you might have expected it to have ended Anthony Hopkins' career, but in fact this was his final film before Silence of the Lambs. A remake of a 50s hostage thriller, it's mildly entertaining, often because it's so dramatically absurd. None of it makes much sense, not least how often Kelly Lynch manages to expose her breasts: gratuitously, casually, ridiculously. It feels like a 15-year old boy has cowritten the script. Worth a watch for curiosity value. It's a desperate 1 hour and 45 minutes, which is more than enough.