Paul Giamatti and Clive Owen face off many times in the film and Davis compares it to Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny.
Michael Davis: "As the movie progresses, and because Clive had this sort of Bugs’ fun quality because he was always getting out of these crazy situations and screwing over Paul Giamatti, it really does have a Looney Tunes kind of quality. We even enhance that later on in the story that Paul Giamatti’s ring tone is the Wagner 'Kill the Rabbit, Kill the Rabbit.' And I think it helps tell the audience, ‘Yes, there’s these dark elements, people trying to kill the baby and all that kind of stuff, but it is supposed to be light. It’s like a violent cartoon.' And so I kind of liked how their little interplay kind of enhances the Looney Tunes aspect."
The wild gunfights in Shoot 'Em Up incorporate Jackie Chan sorts of stunts into the gunfire. In one scene, Owen slides belly first across a conveyor belt, holding the baby out to his side and firing ahead. Then he grabs a robe and descends a stairwell, taking out the approaching villains.
Michael Davis: "One of the reasons I like that scene so much is a lot of the gun fights you see in movies, a lot of times they have the heroes crouching behind barriers and then springing out firing, and that’s all great. But I wanted to do a gun fight where the guy was entirely on the run, and I just like the fact that it was entirely in motion; it never stops, it’s not about guys hiding here and it just feels more energized. I like characters diving and rolling around. To me, I want to be the hero. When the guy is tumbling around being an acrobat, being a human bullet, that makes me feel like I’m the hero because it’s so fast. I’m feeling what the hero is feeling and I just like that. And the other great thing that happened was that was one of the early scenes I animated, and it was great that my DP, my editor, my production designer, everybody could see how that scene was going to be choreographed; every piece was there on the day. Peter Pau, the DP, was super fast. I got all the pieces and more, so that it could go together just like I animated it. It’s the biggest rush to have thought of it and then drawn it, animated it, and then have the live-action play just as I sketched it out."
In the less bombastic moments of the film, Smith actually gets to bond with the baby. In a scene where the baby becomes intrigued with Smith's gun, Clive Owen actually added dialogue where Smith teaches the baby all the parts of the gun.
Michael Davis: "This is the scene that Clive altered the dialogue which I think is a lot better. It's more specific. I had not identified the different parts of the gun, and then he came up with the idea that [your trigger finger] is your number one safety which I thought was really cute. It's a lot more specific and sort of makes the scene. I'm waiting for him to go through WGA arbitration but hopefully not."
Lest Owen get all the juicy stuff, Davis showed one final scene of Paul Giamatti to emphasize his character's humanity. Lying wounded on a hallway floor with a slug in his Kevlar vest, he takes a phone call and promises his wife that he will be home for Timmy's birthday.
Michael Davis: "It's a pro family movie. He'll always check in with that wife to let her know he's coming home."
Perhaps audiences will even be sad when he doesn't make it home for Timmy's birthday.
Michael Davis: "All I can say is we were doing ADR with Paul and he has said, 'If you make another one of these things, I have to come back, even if my brain is in a jar.'"
