Review of Shoot 'Em Up (2007) by Wesley M — 08 Sep 2011

The term 'irreverent action-comedy' doesn't get thrown around all that often, but if it did, this would be the defining work. Although everyone is playing their roles perfectly straight -Clive Owen is the stoic, mysterious gunslinger, Monica Bellucci is his hooker love interest, and Paul Giamatti is the hissably vile antagonist- there is so much tongue-in-cheek its a wonder they can enunciate their lines so clearly. Not that the movie feels uneven. You learn within the first 5 minutes what you're in for, as Owen not only protects a dying pregnant woman from gun-toting killers, but he helps deliver her child, severing the umbilical cord with a well placed bullet. It only gets more ridiculous from there.

If you've watched your fair share of action films (especially more recent fare) you'll get all the homages and parodies while still enjoying the well-staged action in its own right. The guns are big, the egos even bigger, and if you're a nameless henchman you better believe your death is guaranteed. Surprisingly the film sneaks in instances of character development and even some true pathos in the lull between gun battles, and the plot does pick up towards the end, even if that end is essentially irrelevant to the larger picture. If you stick around for the ending you'll be rewarded with a truly ridiculous climax.

It all works really well, the action is well staged, shot, and executed. The artistry belies the brutal situations and the high-quality actors really pull off the entire affair with style. Obviously not everyone can appreciate this work, and that's okay. The film is designed for the action buff and makes zero apologies for that. A script consisting mostly of one-liners, action scenes that twist the laws of physics in ways it has never been twisted, and a classic good vs. evil plotline make up a film that is far more than the sum of its parts.