Shoot ‘Em Up
2007
You know, from all outwards appearances, this looks like a gloriously over-the-top action film, but beneath the surface, what Shoot ‘Em Up is really all about is pure catharsis. Hopefully I’m not giving away too much here, because people are talking about the insane action and ridiculous one-liners, but seem to be missing a very vital part of what makes Shoot ‘Em Up work so well.
Let me explain… There’s a scene in a museum where a woman is spanking her kid, and Clive Owen’s character Mr. Smith strides up to her, announces that he hates when people hit their children, then begins to spank her! Now I’m sitting there in the theater absolutely grinning from ear to ear, because if there’s one thing that makes me mad, it’s seeing parents hitting their kids. I was very close to standing up and shouting “Yeah! You show that bitch!”
That’s just one example. Just about every villian or bystander that the protagonist comes across is some kind of asshole, and they all get the kind of retribution that we all wish on those assholes we come across daily in our lives. I can see this becoming a great film for blowing off steam when it’s out on DVD. Had a bad day at the office? Someone pull out infront of you in traffic? Stick on Shoot ‘Em Up and blow off some steam.
Obviously, the action does play a big part in the film, and it’s clear from the get go that director Michael Davis has taken a hell of a lot of inspiration from the likes of John Woo and Luc Besson. It’s actually quite hard to describe without beginning to sound like a 12 year old boy who’s telling his schoolyard friends “Oh, he did this… And then he did that! And it was awesome! You gotta see it! Oh yeah, and he did this one thing, and then he said…” Suffice to say that the action in the film is some of the most fun and elaborate you could possibly want to see.
Lastly, another important ingredient that makes the film work so damn well, is none other than Paul Giamatti. Now, I’ll watch just about anything with him in it, and there’s very few actors that can draw me to see a movie like he can. There’s something about the way he does different voices for his characters that set them apart in a way that few other actors can match. Don’t get me wrong, Clive Owen is fantastic in the lead, and the po-faced delivery of his incredibly cheesy one-liners is just brilliant, but Giamatti almost steals the show as the lead villain.
I felt Monica Belluci let the acting side down, as she seems to just stride through the film showing little enthusiasm like it were just another paycheck, but she does have her moments, however brief they may be. Overall, it’s just a relentless piece of action that has no pretentions, it did exactly what it said on the tin and then some, and just left me with a huge smile. It is truly spectacular, and well recommended.
Source: moviesfilmsandmotionpictures.blogspot.com
