French director Pierre Morel, who reinvented Liam Neeson as a bankable, middle-aged action hero, here attempts to do the same for Sean Penn. And fails.

A former assassin who helped Big Mining destabilize African nations so it could strip-mine their resources is now the target of a little evil corporation housecleaning. The obligatory, lackluster action scenes are mainly there to keep you awake, and the relentlessly dour plot’s nearly incoherent.

Double Oscar-winner Penn, who also produced and co-wrote, is one of our top actors. He deserves better movies than this talky Euro-thriller. So do you. (115 min)