'Shoot 'Em Up' review

Rating: *** out of ****

I’ve seen bedroom scenes turn into action sequences. Most Robert Rodriguez flicks do that. I don’t think, however, that I’ve seen an action sequence occur during a bedroom scene, while the lovers continue killing people mid-coitus. That’s just how far over the edge ‘Shoot ‘Em Up’ is willing to go. I do not mean that as a disparaging remark, but as one of affection. I have the utmost respect for action movies that are not afraid to believe that live action and comic books can be the same. It’s the same belief that gave us most John Woo movies, ‘Sin City’, ‘Kill Bill’ and now this.

‘Shoot ‘Em Up’ starts in the middle of an event, as Mr. Smith (Clive Owen) witnesses a pregnant woman about to be gunned down. Against his better judgment, he saves her, which leads to one of the most ironic killings I’ve seen in a while. The woman dies, but Smith saves her baby. It turns out that a US senator named Rutledge is dying and the only cure is the bone marrow of infants. Rutledge is running for president and if he wins, wants to ban guns from the U.S. A major gun manufacturer does not want this, obviously, and so they hire Hertz, a hitman with marital issues, to kill all the babies intended as marrow hosts for the senator. Paul Giamatti plays Hertz with a sinful glee, in a role that feels so cathartic after playing back-to-back losers in ‘American Splendor’ and ‘Sideways’. Smith employs the help of DQ (Monica Bellucci), a hooker with a heart of gold (and a penchant for lactating fetishists). Her job is to take care of the child between gunfights and if Smith dies, to take it somewhere safe.

While I’m normally a strong supporter of back-story, ‘Shoot ‘Em Up’ gives minimal back-story and I believe it helps the story. All we’re given about Hertz is that he used to work for the FBI and now he has problems at home. This adds a great comedic tone to a psychotic killer. We learn almost nothing about DQ, except for a previous tragedy that I’m not sure was necessary for her character. Clive Owen plays Mr. Smith with just the right balance of strength, slickness and decency. He doesn’t kill people that he doesn’t need to. He is a character we know nothing about except he also has a tragedy in his past, he loves carrots and he’s really, really good at shooting. Not knowing where the characters are coming from is half the fun of ‘Shoot ‘Em Up’. We’re thrust into this situation, as Smith and DQ are and so the events unfold for us as they do for them – one bullet at a time.

This movie may have the shortest recorded time between start and the first gunshot. I read online that there are 11 action sequences in the film’s 86 minutes. That's more action per frame than any ‘Die Hard’, ‘Lethal Weapon’ or ‘James Bond’ film. Unfortunately, that’s not always a good thing. While much of the action here is completely original and wild, it becomes redundant. I wanted something else to happen besides shooting, shooting and more shooting. ‘Shoot ‘Em Up’ is thin on plot but thick on action.

I know people will watch this and hate it, thinking it’s completely ludicrous, over the top and unrealistic. Of course it is. That’s the point. Creativity should always outweigh reality in movies. That is the joy of cinema. I still advocate that every movie needs a certain level of realism, and ‘Shoot ‘Em Up’ has it: if Smith shoots someone, they die. That’s all the realism this movie needs.