Sometimes a movie aims high, falls a little short, but still ends up worthwhile. "Shoot Em Up" is NOT that movie. Here's a film that aims for the gutter and succeeds. Whether or not that is a good thing is entirely up to the viewer. For a film called "Shoot Em Up", it delivers exactly what it promises.
Clive Owen plays "Mr. Smith", a carrot eater who takes it upon himself to protect a baby from a ruthless assassin (Paul Giammati) and his infinite number of henchmen. And that's about the extent of the plot. Along the way Mr. Smith enlists in the services of a prostitute he has a "history" with to assist in the child care. There also seems to be a lame conspiracy as to why somebody has paid to have the baby killed. All that is trivial though. Once Mr. Smith begins shooting at the villains about a minute into the film, the gunplay is about nonstop until the last frame. Shootouts with handguns, machine guns, shotguns, and more. On foot, in car, and even by air. There is no shortage of ammunition here. Mr. Smith is an expert marksman, and dispatches wicked henchmen with ease. He only stops to reload or make one liners.
While this film is credited to Michael Davis, I suspect the real directors were a handful of 7th Graders - juiced up on Red Bull, Video Games, and John Woo movies. Gone is plot, character development, structure, etc. Instead - expect high doses of Rock & Roll music, dead bad guys, jokes, car chases, and of course gunfire. Is it anything to be proud of? Not really. Does it make for a fun film? I think so. While the part of Mr. Smith demands nothing except the ability to fire guns and spew cheesy one liners, Clive Owen brings some welcome charm to the role. Paul Giamatti burns the screen as Hertz, the assassin hell bent on destroying our heroes. Giamatti is a huge talent, and as the over-the-top villain, he has the pleasure of chewing massive scenery and having some real fun. His presence gives the film a real flair. Monica Bellucci stars as the prostitute dragged into the action by Smith. While the part is thinly written, and Bellucci seems to struggle with some of the English she is nothing short of gorgeous and generously spends her screen time in significantly revealing clothing.
The film's selling points, the shootouts, are plentiful and show no restraint. There's some humor, most of it cheesy, but generally effective. While the film is the definition of mindless fun, it still is fun, and that's OK by me. Owen plays it cool, Giamatti plays it crazy, and Bellucci plays it sexy. The gunfire doesn't stop, the jokes are corny, and the film moves at a lightning pace. While you'll probably forget the whole thing as the credits begin to roll, it does make for an enjoyable little film.
2.5/4
Clive Owen plays "Mr. Smith", a carrot eater who takes it upon himself to protect a baby from a ruthless assassin (Paul Giammati) and his infinite number of henchmen. And that's about the extent of the plot. Along the way Mr. Smith enlists in the services of a prostitute he has a "history" with to assist in the child care. There also seems to be a lame conspiracy as to why somebody has paid to have the baby killed. All that is trivial though. Once Mr. Smith begins shooting at the villains about a minute into the film, the gunplay is about nonstop until the last frame. Shootouts with handguns, machine guns, shotguns, and more. On foot, in car, and even by air. There is no shortage of ammunition here. Mr. Smith is an expert marksman, and dispatches wicked henchmen with ease. He only stops to reload or make one liners.
While this film is credited to Michael Davis, I suspect the real directors were a handful of 7th Graders - juiced up on Red Bull, Video Games, and John Woo movies. Gone is plot, character development, structure, etc. Instead - expect high doses of Rock & Roll music, dead bad guys, jokes, car chases, and of course gunfire. Is it anything to be proud of? Not really. Does it make for a fun film? I think so. While the part of Mr. Smith demands nothing except the ability to fire guns and spew cheesy one liners, Clive Owen brings some welcome charm to the role. Paul Giamatti burns the screen as Hertz, the assassin hell bent on destroying our heroes. Giamatti is a huge talent, and as the over-the-top villain, he has the pleasure of chewing massive scenery and having some real fun. His presence gives the film a real flair. Monica Bellucci stars as the prostitute dragged into the action by Smith. While the part is thinly written, and Bellucci seems to struggle with some of the English she is nothing short of gorgeous and generously spends her screen time in significantly revealing clothing.
The film's selling points, the shootouts, are plentiful and show no restraint. There's some humor, most of it cheesy, but generally effective. While the film is the definition of mindless fun, it still is fun, and that's OK by me. Owen plays it cool, Giamatti plays it crazy, and Bellucci plays it sexy. The gunfire doesn't stop, the jokes are corny, and the film moves at a lightning pace. While you'll probably forget the whole thing as the credits begin to roll, it does make for an enjoyable little film.
2.5/4