While not especially deep or remarkably subtle, "Shoot 'Em Up" puts a gun to your head and leaves you glued to your seat for an hour and a half waiting to see if it pulls the trigger.
Clive Owen ("Children of Men," "Sin City") plays Mr. Smith, a reluctant hero with a penchant for carrots who is simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. This leaves him running for his life with only a baby, who is part of a pro-gun conspiracy, and a ton of bullets.
Owen is truly in his element as an action star, and it is clear he is completely at home delivering great one-liners and racking up a massive body count.
Paul Giamatti ("Lady in the Water," "Sideways") plays the vicious Mr. Hertz who is in charge of killing the baby. Giamatti's Hertz is soulless and calculating, the perfect foil to the "fly by the seat of your pants" Mr. Smith.
Monica Bellucci ("The Matrix Revolutions") plays Donna Quintano, a prostitute with — surprise, surprise — a heart of gold. The character is poorly developed, and Bellucci's acting leaves something to be desired. Thankfully she is simply Smith's love interest and doesn't waste too much screen time.
Flaws aside, "Shoot 'Em Up" is an exceptionally violent film in the same vein as "Kill Bill." It is one of those movies that unrepentantly purports the message that violence solves everything, and it makes a very compelling argument
Like any good action movie, bullets and body count are the name of the game in "Shoot 'Em Up." Practically every scene finds Smith showering another group of faceless thugs with lead in a new and creative way. While not big on originality, writer/director Michael Davis definitely knows a thing or two about making death look cool.
Despite the fact that Smith kills some 250 people throughout the film, every new shootout still feels exciting. He is such a supreme badass that it is impossible to predict how he is going to kill someone next.
The cinematography plays a big part in keeping things fresh; the camera angles are eye catching and the style is gritty. The soundtrack also makes sure to keep the adrenaline flowing throughout.
It's lucky that the action in "Shoot 'Em Up" is so gripping because the scenes that don't feature Owen shooting something are as a whole sub-par. Most non-gun-related action seems to merely be a vehicle to move things along until the action starts up again. The plot is fine, though rather linear. Like everything else it's clearly just an excuse to see Owen kill someone with a carrot.
"Shoot 'Em Up" certainly isn't Oscar material, but it is a genuinely fun time at the movies. It proves that violence, even senseless violence, can be entertaining if done well.
"Shoot 'Em Up" is rated R for pervasive strong bloody violence, sexuality and some strong language.
Reach the reporter at: zachary.richter@asu.edu.
