I love going to the movies with low expectations; if I am right, then at least I had enough foresight to prepare for the worst, but if I am wrong, then the experience of a great movie is all the more entertaining since I was not expecting it. Case in point, Shoot 'Em Up: I was absolutely blown away by this movie.
Then again, how could I not be? Writer/director Mike Davis has done such an amazing job combining a little plot with a lot of extremely stylized action and just enough bad CGI blood to create a relentlessly fun orgy of guns, sex, and superficial political interpretations. Oh, and laughs; God, are there laughs. Take, for instance, an early scene, in which the cause of a henchman's death is, of all things... ah, go see it yourself.
Contrary to what the title implies, Shoot 'Em Up is not just 87 minutes (honestly, I wanted more) of gunfights. There is a plot, involving the protection of an orphaned baby and the urge of Mr. Smith (Clive Owen, given no real name but so much character) to rid the world of everything he hates. As feeble as it is, I've thought about it and I realize now, with equal shock and glee, that the story works for the movie. What we are left with are well-visualized and executed fight scenes with just enough character development to develop some sympathy and even a brief, if somewhat hypocritical, commentary on, of all things, gun control.
Everything about the film is ridiculous, from Smith's ability to shoot the bad guys, have sex with his female tag-along, and manipulate electronic devices with one hand in two seconds, to the fact that he does many of these things at the same time with the baby cradled in his spare arm. He could have stopped mid-shootout for a cup of coffee, and I would have believed it. Owen as good here as he was in Sin City, probably because he's playing roughly the same character in both films: a well-trained and almost superhuman vigilante trying to make sense of a situation in which he finds himself too deep. He is supported well by Paul Giamatti as the relentless antagonist (Surprise!), and Monica Bellucci as his trusty companion. No one particularly shines, though, because the main stars of the film are the countless bullets and bodies littering the set; who's paying attention to anything else?
Twisted without being repulsive, stylized without being cheesy, and mindless without being insulting, Shoot 'Em Up got my heart pumping and my mouth laughing aloud as I walked from the theater (after a quick shoot-'em-up arcade game, of course). Pondering the experience on my way home, I realized that I have seen better movies in recent months, but none of them pleased me more than this one. Bang Bang.
Then again, how could I not be? Writer/director Mike Davis has done such an amazing job combining a little plot with a lot of extremely stylized action and just enough bad CGI blood to create a relentlessly fun orgy of guns, sex, and superficial political interpretations. Oh, and laughs; God, are there laughs. Take, for instance, an early scene, in which the cause of a henchman's death is, of all things... ah, go see it yourself.
Contrary to what the title implies, Shoot 'Em Up is not just 87 minutes (honestly, I wanted more) of gunfights. There is a plot, involving the protection of an orphaned baby and the urge of Mr. Smith (Clive Owen, given no real name but so much character) to rid the world of everything he hates. As feeble as it is, I've thought about it and I realize now, with equal shock and glee, that the story works for the movie. What we are left with are well-visualized and executed fight scenes with just enough character development to develop some sympathy and even a brief, if somewhat hypocritical, commentary on, of all things, gun control.
Everything about the film is ridiculous, from Smith's ability to shoot the bad guys, have sex with his female tag-along, and manipulate electronic devices with one hand in two seconds, to the fact that he does many of these things at the same time with the baby cradled in his spare arm. He could have stopped mid-shootout for a cup of coffee, and I would have believed it. Owen as good here as he was in Sin City, probably because he's playing roughly the same character in both films: a well-trained and almost superhuman vigilante trying to make sense of a situation in which he finds himself too deep. He is supported well by Paul Giamatti as the relentless antagonist (Surprise!), and Monica Bellucci as his trusty companion. No one particularly shines, though, because the main stars of the film are the countless bullets and bodies littering the set; who's paying attention to anything else?
Twisted without being repulsive, stylized without being cheesy, and mindless without being insulting, Shoot 'Em Up got my heart pumping and my mouth laughing aloud as I walked from the theater (after a quick shoot-'em-up arcade game, of course). Pondering the experience on my way home, I realized that I have seen better movies in recent months, but none of them pleased me more than this one. Bang Bang.