I've determined that there are various calibers of action films out there. I can actually recall a time growing up when I expected the same thing from all action-packed projects. Masculine actors such as Jean-Claude Van Damme and Arnold Schwarzenegger would take matters into their own hands by shooting a few hundred men, perhaps blowing up a few conveniently-placed barrels of oil in their way. Sometimes the hero would even get the girl in the end. It is true that these clichés still grace cinema screens. However, after seeing Shoot Em' Up, it has come to my attention that a new style of action is born. I don't have a particular name for it, but am tempted to call it "ADD Vision". I can even recall similar characteristics in the recent Jason Statham project Crank. As if the fire and bullets of old school action were not enough, these films cut out the small doses of humanity and storytelling to create the most perceptually recognizable, "in-your-face" violence. The action does not stop for even a minute as it crams as much bang into its allotted runtime while screaming "look at me!" When describing such a film, I can't help but cringe at the audacity of action movies that are too lazy to even tell a story. However, this feeling changed when attending the movie theater today. Luckily, I walked into Shoot Em' Up leaving my brain outside the theater.
After proving his choice for classier roles in Closer and Children of Men, British tough guy Clive Owen steps into the shoes of our main character, Mr. Smith. Smith is not his real name, and it is easy to guess this from the very cold open. He sits on a bench sipping coffee and munching a carrot with the expression of carelessness and apathy in his eyes. Smith clearly has no one and nothing to live for except his constant disdain for his surroundings. Suddenly, Smith is given something to care about when he witnesses gun-toting thugs chasing a pregnant woman into a warehouse. He decides to do the right thing by getting into a violent shoot-out with the men, stabbing someone in the face with his unfinished carrot, sliding on his back through a puddle of motor oil while firing double pistols, and delivering the woman's child in the midst of gunfire. What?? Who is this man and where did he come from? Frankly, it is difficult to care about these details when blinded by the mysterious bad ass that is Smith.
For every good there is bad, and this is when Paul Giamatti steps in as Hertz. Hertz is a raspy-voiced, unshaven pervert who seems the least likely to take down Smith, but the man is driven by ruthlessness. This rotten determination can be seen in his eyes and it motivates him to angrily pursue the unknown Smith who has made away with the child. For certain reasons, Hertz wants to destroy the orphaned child, but Smith's small trickle of compassion sends him on a mission to keep the baby from undeserved murder. Seeking the maternal aid of a prostitute named Donna Quintano who services clients with fetishes for lactation (her initials are D.Q...get it?), Smith comes up with every possible method to shoot the enemies, protect the child, and look as cool as possible while doing it.
Shoot Em' Up has a runtime just under 90 minutes, and this is plenty of space for director Michael Davis to run around like a hyperactive child during recess. If this were 2 hours long, there would be more insight about character backgrounds and romance, but this film has an agenda, which is to keep running until the fuel tank hits empty. Why slow down when you could just speed up? That is the idea here as Smith literally does not sit down for a moment. Like a video game character, he goes from one level to the next. Rather than being tired after a chase, he doesn't quit. Instead he pulls off feats such as colliding with a van head-on, flying through both windshields, and landing in the back of the panel van so he can pump six oafish goons full of lead. He does so with a soft smile and not a scratch on his body. For a brief moment, I actually believed I wanted to be Clive Owen. This was until after the movie when I was beaten mercilessly by cops for attempting to stab someone with a carrot.
This particular van action sequence is one of many sequences that stands out. Smith is like MacGyver crossed with Carrot Top as he humorously utilizes techniques and props to take out his foes in an improvisational manner. We the viewers are permitted to laugh in amazement as he pumps off rounds while free-falling from a plane, gets into a gunfight while having orgasmic sex, and uses his trusty carrots as trigger pullers and daggers. And that's not all! He still makes time to angrily speed after a BMW driver who doesn't use his turn signal, and rig up automatic weapons in a warehouse making them operable with pulleys and puppet strings.
It may be clear from my analysis of the film that Shoot Em' Up is a title one either loves to hate or hates to love. The moviegoer that wants nothing but a thinking person's movie is highly encouraged to stay at home for an evening of Fellini films. Shoot Em' Up is incredibly over-the-top and is not ashamed of being this way. Recognizing that the film successfully accomplishes what it originally set out to do, I can't help but love this hodgepodge of turbo-charged violence and silliness. Such trickery would fall flat in any other project, but gifted actors such as Owen and Giamatti are there as a reminder that their mere presence makes this thrill-ride actually worth enjoying. This movie is stupid, and I loved every second of its absurdist spectacle. Shoot Em' Up will get into your bloodstream like a shot of Red Bull, and still leave you charged during the ride home.
Questions? Comments? Just want to talk movies? Drop me a line at dodd@movieweb.com
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"Bang-bang from the start and the clip never goes empty" ByMatt Sheehan
"If you're ready to sit back and enjoy an over-the-top popcorn flick, then go check out "Shoot 'Em Up." Sure it's unbelievable and overall senseless and without meaning but hey, it's a fond farewell to a summer that was nothing but senseless and effects-laden films anyway - so why not say goodbye in style?" ByAdam Frazier
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