Shoot 'Em Up (2007)


There's nothing like a good old fashioned summer action flick to feed your need for senseless violence. The movie that pretty much embodies that description is Shoot 'Em Up, a film dedicated to killing the living hell out of everything. Clive Owen stars as Mr. Smith, a man who has seemingly no past, no friends, no patience, and a very large affinity for carrots. After Mr. Smith delivers a baby during a shootout, he must watch the newborn infant all while trying to find the man who killed it's mother. That man is Hertz, played admirably by Paul Giamatti. Hertz is a hired man whose job is to make sure that the baby becomes food for worms at any cost. In order to keep the child safe, Smith brings him to the most motherly person he knows: a prostitute who specializes in mommy fetishes (Monica Belucci). This odd couple must now do whatever it takes to save the baby and hunt down its predators.
Clive Owen is quickly rising to the top of the action hero charts in yet another role that exhibits his ability to kick ass and take names. A better actor could not have been cast, as nobody could deliver a one liner quite as effectively as Clive Owen. His excellent performance actually makes you believe he is capable of doing all of the outrageous things you witness him do during the entirety of the film. Another wonderful performance was given by Paul Giamatti, who seemed to have a lot of fun playing the bad guy. In a movie that was made strictly for the sake of fun, Giamatti shows his ability to not take a role too seriously and just indulge in a guilty pleasure to enjoy.
Despite the two stellar performances of the lead actors, Shoot 'Em Up has one major downfall. The implausibility factor is off the charts ridiculous. Granted, it's a summer action film and it is meant to be ridiculous, but even those who made The Transporter would say, "Wow, that's ridiculous". Even for a summer flick, a line is drawn that cannot be crossed, and this movie does just that. It reaches a point where you lose interest in the movie because it is no longer fun, just asinine. In order to appreciate these kinds of movies, you must ignore the flaws, but you will constantly find flaws to pick out that are so blatant it is hard to ignore them. The film shows no regard for the laws of physics, chemistry, biology, and every other form of science, and it is for this reason that I cannot call this film a great movie to just watch and not think about. A film that has lots of heart racing slick action, I give it a mild recommendation, if only for Clive Owen being excellent at what he does. My rating (6/10)

2 comments:

  1. found this blog on groups. it looks nice! keep up this good job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. i shut this movie off after the worst sex scene ever

    ReplyDelete

Movies given a 10/10

  • Milk
  • In Bruges
  • Slumdog Millionaire
  • The Dark Knight
  • Iron Man
  • No Country For Old Men
  • The Shining
  • A Clockwork Orange