Viewed in
2007
Premise
What 'Kill Bill' is to sword-fights, 'Shoot Em Up' is to gun-fights.
Who should watch
Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti fans. Those tired of the usual brainless action flicks.
Thoughts
I could not suppress my joyful giggling from the very first scene. Everything about it was perfectly over-the-top ridiculous fun.
Owen has quickly risen on my list of favorite actors of this decade with his sexy British accent and blend of bad-ass, arrogance, and sly dialogue delivery. I also enjoyed Giamatti's change-of-pace acting. One requirement of a great action flick is great one-liners, and both actors deliver the goods.
Kudos to the screenwriting as the film had fun throwing physics and logic out the window. In one sense, it satirized action flicks, as the body count reached record highs. Yet at the same time, most of the fights were very creative and out-doing most movies. The only disappointing one was the warehouse fight, because I thought the A-Team already pulled that stunt. My favorite was the hilariously ridiculous free-falling/parachuting shootout from a plane in the sky.
Lastly, gunning down bad guys while having sex looked really difficult and exciting.
What I would change
Nothing.
