Shoot ‘Em Up

September 8, 2007

Rated: R Runtime: 80 min Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Is there a such thing as a perfect movie? I don’t know if there is, but Shoot ‘Em Up, the latest film from writer/director Michael Davis (8 Days a Week, Monster Man), dares to shoot for perfection in the action genre. It’s got a little bit of everything and a LOT of some things that are required for an action movie to shine: guns, blood, torture, sex, nudity, necrophilia, humor, a double-cross, and a great villain. Um…ok…maybe necrophilia should be dropped off the list.

Shoot 'Em Up The movie starts with “Mr. Smith” (Owen) sitting on a bench minding his own goddamned business when a VERY pregnant lady runs by while moaning in pain and holding her stomach. Smith, however, is a reluctant hero and continues to sit and wait for the bus. Moments later, however, some bad dude in a vintage Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am turns the corner and slams into another car. The drive gets out and yells toward the corner where the girl had just disappeared, “You’re dead, bitch!”

After the dude has gone past, Mr. Smith decides that he better help the lady. He finds her and manages to dispatch the bad dude when she suddenly goes into labor. As the baby is popping out, however, about twenty more bad guys show up. The baby is born but the mom is killed…and thus starts off what is almost an 80 minute long action sequence of extreme fun and excitement with a massive body count.

Giamatti is one of my favorite actors and here he plays a former FBI profiler nerd-turned-mercenary leader. Like all his roles, he dives into this one with gusto and makes a GREAT villain. Monica Bellucci is HAWT…and lactating which makes her the perfect person to take the baby to.

The plot, such as it is, unrolls slowly during brief pauses in the action but its very nearly irrelevent to whats happening on-screen. Davis walks a fine line with this film and he manages to keep it from becoming a parody of its genre while still allowing for scenes that are incredibly fun and satisfying. While Davis and his actors certainly take their jobs here VERY seriously, no one watching the end result could ever say the the film takes itself seriously at all.

All in all, it’s one of the most fun movies I’ve seen in years. If it had managed a bit more nudity and couple extra good one-liners, it might have been absolutely perfect. Make sure to put this one at the top of your list to see!

Posted by Alex | Filed Under 5 Stars, Action, Clive Owen, Monica Bellucci, Paul Giamatti, R, Theatrical