We can all agree that it takes a great amount of faith to believe in Santa Claus. It takes just as much faith to buy into the whole Tooth Fairy thing. If you can remember a time when you were gullible enough to believe pretty much anything, you should probably revert back to that state if you want to enjoy “Shoot ‘Em Up.”
“Shoot ‘Em Up,” from director Michael Davis, is probably the most fun you’ll have in a movie theater this fall, provided you can put aside that nagging little method of reasoning commonly known as logic. The action sequences in this film (and almost every sequence is, or ends up as an action sequence) are quite literally crazy. They defy both convention and the rules of physics. But they are also the most innovative and entertaining action sequences you’ll ever see.
The film’s plot is pretty basic. Clive Owen (“Sin City,” “Children of Men”) plays a character known only as Smith, a man who saves a pregnant woman from being killed by a group of lackeys pursuing her in a warehouse. Unfortunately, the woman dies and Smith is left to make sure the newborn baby stays alive.
For reasons the movie later reveals, the baby is the target of Hertz (Paul Giamatti, “Sideways,” “Lady in the Water”), a man employed by a gun manufacturer. Smith enlists the help of a lactating prostitute (Monica Bellucci, “The Matrix” sequels, “The Passion of the Christ”) to help him care for the newborn as he tries to figure out who is really after the child and why, while also managing to kill an immense amount of people along the way.
“Shoot ‘Em Up” is true to its title – the movie is little more than a filmed killing spree. But, boy, it’s fun to watch. To explain how insane some of these gunfights are would ruin the movie’s main appeal. Just know that if you like a healthy amount of violence and gunplay in your movies, you’re in for a real treat.
Director Michael Davis is a relative newcomer and some of his weaknesses show in a few areas of the film. Some of the action is filmed much too close to what’s going on, disorienting the viewer. The editing in some of those same scenes is too fast, often making it difficult to tell what’s going on.
Clive Owen is fantastic, delivering more of the same type of machismo he exuded in “Sin City.” To watch Owen deliver one-liner after one-liner with a baby in one hand and a gun in the other is a delight. His one-liners and post-kill quips can veer toward cheesy at times, but Owen spits them out with gusto anyway.
Giamatti holds his own next to Owen. Giamatti is such a versatile actor that it’s as easy to buy him as a villain as it is to accept him as a lovable Average Joe. He plays the part with a sardonic smugness that makes him impossible to forget.
Bellucci is less unforgettable, but only because her role is a supporting one. In all honesty, she does such a great job as the hooker with a heart of gold that could give Julia Roberts a run for her money.
From impossible escapes to crazy plot twists, there are a lot of moments in “Shoot ‘Em Up” in which you’ll laugh out loud because of the sheer ridiculousness of the film. But the movie is completely aware of that fact. It’s as though the film itself is winking at you and telling you to have a great time.
