Review: Shoot Em Up

I said Huggies not PAMPERS!!!

Shoot 'Em Up

Starring: Clive Owen, Monica Bellucci, Paul Giamatti

The Gist: A woman gives birth during a gun battle and is protected by the mysterious 'Smith' (Clive Owen) who is then forced to protect the baby from a bunch of gun toting maniacs while unraveling the mystery surrounding its life.


If a baby being born in a gun battle isn't enough to peak your interest, how about the main character killing the first bad guy with a carrot. Yes, you read that correctly, the orange vegetable.

You have your action movie cliches: The unlikely hero, a dirty prostitute with, come on guess...yep! A heart of gold...a decent slimy villain in Paul Giamatti and some other slimy bad dudes that I can't tell you about because it will ruin the story (yes, there is one). There are things you haven't seen like the carrot murders and the fact there is a baby being carried around in every action sequence. Not in a very long time have I seen such a creative action film. Remember in the old days when they would try to out-choreograph each other and come up with better deaths? This time it's very tongue-in-cheek.

While the title is Shoot 'Em Up and there are more guns in this movie than all the Rambos combined, it does have a very anti-gun message, which I think is why it didn't go over so well in America. Sad really, when a bloody gun-filled action movie can't even get through to them...This movie does that in my opinion, and better than half the so called artsy films out there (Yes even your film Mr. Moore). The message is stark, simple and real...guns DO kill people.

I really enjoyed Shoot 'Em Up and can say it was one of my favourites of 2007. I really wish I had seen it on the big screen but perhaps then it would have made this feeling of a problem that's too great to deal with, seem even greater.

Shoot 'Em Up is a clever action film with a decent message and a sense of humour (did I mention they killed people with carrots in this movie?). I challenge any gun toting American to watch it and not feel at least a tiny bit guilty.

3 1/2 BIG FAT FAKE BULLETS

Parents be warned: Your kids should not see this unless they are 18+ or mature enough to separate fact from fiction.