The Bottom Line
Pros
- The 'Best Use of a Carrot as a Weapon Award' goes to Clive Owen as Mr Smith
- Casting Owen and Paul Giamatti as adversaries was the perfect choice
- Sex scene gives a whole new meaning to "Wam Bam Thank You Ma'am"
- Witty dialogue, snappy one-liners, and non-stop over-the-top action
Cons
- There's so much going on you'll need to see it twice. Actually, that's not really a 'con'...
Description
- Written and directed by James Bond fan Michael Davis
- Starring Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti and Monica Bellucci
- Rated R for pervasive strong bloody violence, sexuality and some language
- Theatrical Release Date: September 7, 2007
Guide Review - Shoot 'Em Up Movie Review
Mr Smith is walking down a street when he happens upon a pregnant woman being chased down by a pack of killers. Smith is drawn into protecting her newborn baby from the heavily armed thugs led by Hertz (Giamatti), a no-nonsense businessman frequently found on the phone with his wife while in the middle of gunfights.
Smith needs help caring for the baby since he's heavily involved in a protracted shoot-out, so he turns to a woman he has a history with - a lactating hooker named DQ (stunning Monica Bellucci in a smoking hot performance). Accidently involved in the twisted world of men who want to murder a baby, Smith has to figure out why anyone would want to kill an innocent newborn while keeping himself, DQ and the baby safe.
The Cast
Clive Owen is fantastic as the man without a past who leaps into action, all while chomping down on Bugs Bunny's favorite food. The carrot munching touch is a surefire way of signifying to the audience this film's not to be taken seriously. It's all about pushing the limits, and good taste be damned.
Owen gleefully attacks the stunts, and even though we know next to nothing about his character, he manages to make Smith into more than just the cliched action movie stud. Also obviously relishing his part is Paul Giamatti as one of the most black-hearted villains on film. Giamatti even does a send-up of Sideways that comes out of nowhere and is absolutely hilarious.
To Sum It Up
The carnage all has something to do with collecting bone marrow from babies, but frankly it doesn't matter. Shoot 'Em Up's main goal isn't to put forth a coherent, plausible plot. Filmmaker Davis' aim appears to have been to cram as many high-octane, explosive action sequences as possible into the film's 87 minute running time. With his wild, cartoonishly violent film, which isn't for everyone, Davis accomplished his goal.
GRADE: A-
