Shoot 'Em Up: Review Thread

[halo7]

http://entimg.msn.com/i/gal/ShootEmUp/001.jpg

Shoot 'Em Up
Many movies claim to be all action. A recent trend in films lately is to have lots of action with little plot, all very tounge in cheek, mind you. Shoot 'Em Up is the epitome of all these films. Less dull than Snakes on a Plane, smarter than Crank, and a lot funnier than both of those films put together. Shoot 'Em Up stars Clive Owen as "Mr. Smith" who happens upon a government conspiracy and ends up on the run with a baby and a lactating prostitute (Monica Belluci) all resulting in a gigantic stack of bullet ridden and sometimes carrot ridden bodies. The cast is pretty top notch with Giamatti playing eccentric bad guy very well, and Clive just being Clive. Belluci seems a little weak with the slightly annoying accent but it can be forgiven due to her hotness.

The action of course is ridiculously awesome. Barely stopping to explain the plot or character backgrounds, Shoot 'Em Up never lets up. Many humorous deaths to keep the audience laughing plus a lot of clever visual puns scattered around the sets. All in all Shoot 'Em Ups weakest point is that the dialouge could of been a little better, but really, who cares? The shooting/carrot/helicopter related deaths are the main attraction and they are like the barrel of a gun. Smoking and cool(in a stylistic way, not literally :()

8.9/10

[Sora Kahn]

Mr. Smith? You know they could've come up with a more original name.

[halo7]

Mr. Smith? You know they could've come up with a more original name.

Thats kind of the point.

[faxmachine11658]

I thought it was just as funny as Superbad, if not more. I loved it.

[mjb]

This movie was cheesy and so phucking over the top. It was laughable and just a total b movie, but d@mn if i didn't love it. It was fun and great. I will be seeing it again. This is the movie where you know a lot of stuff in unbelievable and it's meant to be. You're supposed to have fun watching this movie. The humor was on point. The cast was great.

8.5/10

[prizm]

this movie was just insane
add another to my dvd collection when it comes out

i want to be clive owen

[moviebuff801]

Shoot 'Em Up

***1/2 out of ****


Willing Suspension Of Disbelief - The ability to believe an action or series of actions throughout the course of a film that would be virtually impossible to accomplish in real life.

Never before have I seen an opening action sequence quite like the one in "Shoot 'Em Up". The scene involves all manner of gunplay that we are used to seeing in many of today's overwrought and overexaggerated action pictures. More often than not, these action movies of which I speak turn out to be garbage. But what sets "Shoot 'Em Up" aside from all the rest is the mere fact that it accepts that it is garbage, and has fun with its completely over-the-top action sequences. The key to enjoying a movie like "Shoot 'Em Up" is to leave both logic and your brain at the door. It may be nothing more than an hour and a half of shootouts, but by God is it entertaining.

The plot, when you think about it, is certainly laughable however that is precisely what the story of a continuous shootout needs to be. "Shoot 'Em Up" opens with the carrot-munching Mr. Smith (Clive Owen), who is sitting on a bench in a bad part of town. It is made abundantly clear to the viewer right off the bat that this Smith character is your typical no-nonsense, trigger-happy action hero because after a very pregnant woman runs by being chased by gun wielding hitmen, Smith reluctantly jumps into action; his reluctance is conveyed by two simple words: "Bloody Hell." We are then shown Smith's vast talents with a gun by way of the previously mentioned memorable opening action scene. I certainly do not want to give away any of the cool tricks that Smith performs, but I will say that I will never look at a raw carrot the same way ever again; the raw carrot actually seems to be a weapon of choice throughout the picture.

After delivering the woman's baby, in the midst of a crazy shootout mind you, Smith severs the umbilical cord with a gunshot and finishes his job. Now, because the mother is shot (go figure), Smith is forced to take care of the baby and protect him from many other mysterious hitmen out to kill both the baby and Smith. These hitmen are led by the teeth-gnashingly evil Mr. Hertz (Paul Giamatti) who claims that "guns don't kill people...but they do help!" The reason why Mr. Hertz needs to kill the newborn child is admittedly laughable and a bit convoluted, but hey, we still go with the flow. Soon, an Italian prostitute named Quintano (played by Monica Belluci in appropriately skimpy clothing) becomes involved in everything. She is an old lover of Smith's and is also thrust into everything against her will. So, the firing and loading of guns persist right until the final scene, never letting up.

The easiest way to describe "Shoot 'Em Up" is to say that it is like "Die Hard" on steroids. Every single shootout in this movie is wildly inventive and bursting with a vivacious energy that makes movies like "Transformers" seem sluggish in comparison. Sure, the action will have you muttering "yeah, right!" and "they'd be long dead by now!", but it is all good fun. Action junkies, I can safely say, will love this movie. One shootout in particular, which takes place in the air (yes, you read correctly) will leave people who appreciate this type of stuff wide-eyed.

"Shoot 'Em Up" does not really have time for character development or exposition scenes, in fact, the only thing it actually does have time for is the action; that is mainly because of its breezy 87 minute running time. But still, Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti provide juicy performances and clever one-liners that keep us occupied in between each action scene. Also, writer/director Michael Davis has a great time setting up each action scene, but even more fun executing them. And that is all "Shoot 'Em Up" is...great R-rated, testosterone-fueled fun that is the most ambitious action movie in quite some time.

Michael Bay, eat your heart out.

[carnage4u]

That is a movie, that just says. Lets have fun, and never look back.
over the top. Yes... awesome. yes

[Tolkien]

Medicore at best. I tried my best to enjoy it, and for the most part, I kind of did. But this film fell short of it's trailer and the only reason why I didn't walk out by the halfway point was because of Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti. Thought their dialogue throughout the film was completely f**king pathetic and lame, they did their best and still managed to make the film look so-so. I have disrespect for anyone who did enjoy it, because if you can get pass the horrible dialogue, the unbelieveable action scenes and the pathetic storyline, you can just maybe find comfort in the outrageousness of the carrot chewing Clive Owen gun toting Paul Giamatti. Monica Bellucci was beautiful as always, but it still wasn't enough. In my opinion, if anyone wants to see a film about a man on a mission, just watch Death Sentence. It's a better choice by far!

Death Sentence: 8/10

Shoot'Um Up: 4/10

[halo7]

Medicore at best. I tried my best to enjoy it, and for the most part, I kind of did. But this film fell short of it's trailer and the only reason why I didn't walk out by the halfway point was because of Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti. Thought their dialogue throughout the film was completely f**king pathetic and lame, they did their best and still managed to make the film look so-so. I have disrespect for anyone who did enjoy it, because if you can get pass the horrible dialogue, the unbelieveable action scenes and the pathetic storyline, you can just maybe find comfort in the outrageousness of the carrot chewing Clive Owen gun toting Paul Giamatti. Monica Bellucci was beautiful as always, but it still wasn't enough. In my opinion, if anyone wants to see a film about a man on a mission, just watch Death Sentence. It's a better choice by far!

Death Sentence: 8/10

Shoot'Um Up: 4/10


Hmmm, Didn't you like the Halloween remake?

[Tolkien]

The Halloween remake didn't involve pathetic supernatural forces.

Aside for some bad dialogue, the rest of it was pretty enjoyable.

[Matrix_Fan]

You know what I hate? People who can't suspend their disbelief for the running time of a movie. One shouldn't walk into an action flick for realism, one should walk in expecting a good time. Why am I saying this? It's because if you're not with the film Shoot Em' Up when the film's blood splattered title comes up, you should get up and walk out immediately. Me? I was with the film from beginning to end. (Note: This is not aimed at you Tolkien. Just providing a segway into the review.)

Mr. Smith(Owen) is a carrot munching, gunslinging badass who unwillingly plays babysitter, when a woman is giving birth when bad guys are shooting at her. Unfortunately, the woman is fatally wounded, leaving Smith to care for the baby. After him are a group of men lead by Hertz (Giamatti), who is after the baby for reasons involving politicians. Smith brings the baby to Donna(Bellucci), a lactating prostitute that has some history with Smith. Together, they must figure out what's going on, while also stacking some bodies up with a ton of gun battles.

Think the plot line is a little thin and slightly confusing? Well, it kinda is. But the film doesn't concern itself with things like plot. No, the real charm of Shoot Em' Up is the action sequences. Each gunfight tops the last one. Want a gunfight in a gun factory? Sure. Want a gunfight during childbirth? You got it. Want a gun fight while skydiving? Of course you do. Want a gunfight during a sex scene? Yep, the film goes there too. Everything in the film is far from plausible, yet I loved every minute of it.

One of the charms of the film is the sheer cheesiness, and cartoonish quality of it. Smith is depicted as a sort of gunslinging Bugs Bunny. The only difference is that on more than one occasion, he uses his carrots as weapons(very awesome stuff). And Hertz is sort of a cross between Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam, with a little more sadism behind him. Smith also spouts off a barrage of cheesy one liners like "Always eat your vegetables" and "So much for wearing your seatbelt". luckily, the lines are hilarious as they are bad.

The film can be taken both ways. One, as one of the best action films John Woo never made. Or two, as a sort of satire on the action movie genre itself. With the implausibility, and the bad one liners, the film is more of a throwback to the awesome 80's action flicks. Plus, a gunfight during a sex scene, how awesome is that?

In the end, Shoot Em' Up was one of the best times I had at the movies. Big, loud, violent, and very funny. Shoot Em' Up will go down as a cult favorite among action movie junkies. So, if this sounds like your kind of movie, then by all means, get a ticket, and enjoy the awesome craziness.

Grade: 10/10

[Tolkien]

(Note: This is not aimed at you Tolkien. Just providing a segway into the review.)

Don't you get chest pains when you lie like that? :P

[Matrix_Fan]

Don't you get chest pains when you lie like that? :P

A little. ;)

Actually, I wrote the review for my myspace account, and when I was posting on CS!, i realized that it came right after your review, so I was like "Uh-Oh, Tolkien might think I wrote the intro in response to the review." So I wrote the disclaimer for you.

[halo7]

The Halloween remake didn't involve pathetic supernatural forces.

Aside for some bad dialogue, the rest of it was pretty enjoyable.

I think you mean horrible dialouge with bad acting to boot. I hate to sound so..cliche. But you really don't seem to get it. The dialouge in Shoot 'Em Up is supposed to be like that, with the cheesy one liners in all. The dialouge is horrible in Snakes on a Plane and most of Grindhouse, its intentionally humorous and the fact that in your review you said that you had to "get past" the unbelievable action scenes. Really shows you were at the wrong movie dude.

[Tolkien]

I know.... I was at the wrong movie. I hated Snakes on a Plane, I loved Grindhouse, I can handle horrible dialogue because I listen to it every day in movies. But I just couldn't handle Shoot'Um Up because it came RIGHT after Death Sentence, so I was still reeling from a more realistic and far smarter film. Maybe on any other day, my review for Shoot'Um Up would have been a little different. But on that day, I was hating it. I like movies you guys hate, so it would seem logical for me to hate movies you guys like, right? I just can't go from watching a smart witty film to watching a popcorn action film with horrible dialogue and unrealistic action scenes. I can't. Sorry.

[FranklinTard]

ok honestly, darth maul and matrix fan, are there any movies you do not like? it seems if the movie has good advertising, and sucks in the demographic (you) you enjoy it, i haven't even seen you give a movie under a 10. its seriously so strange... its like the saying 'ignorance is bliss' then you sit there and swear everyone else is the stupid ones for expecting something of a story/plot.

[Darth Maul]

ok honestly, darth maul and matrix fan, are there any movies you do not like? it seems if the movie has good advertising, and sucks in the demographic (you) you enjoy it, i haven't even seen you give a movie under a 10. its seriously so strange... its like the saying 'ignorance is bliss' then you sit there and swear everyone else is the stupid ones for expecting something of a story/plot.

lol, yes. I haven't even posted in this thread and you mention me. lol. I hated hatchet. Its just I don't like to be snarky about every movie that comes out.People have different opinions Frankin, its just if theres one thing wrong with the movie i wont hate the movie. There are some movies that just suck for instance i hated munich, its just i don't hate and ***** about every movie that comes out then most ppl do. Sometimes ill walk in with no expectations, for instance with the Halloween remake i hate rob zombie and i walked out liking. So i like a lot of movies. Sue me.

i gave hatchet a 6, go take a look.

[Tolkien]

I think he was supposed to say Matrix Fan and HALO7. lol.

[halo7]

and me? I havent even given a movie a 10/10 this year.

[FranklinTard]

I think he was supposed to say Matrix Fan and HALO7. lol.


i mean what i say/say what i mean.

[hollywoodtanman]

haha...wow I love people that get all mad if someone likes a movie that they didn't or vice versa...calm down...it's called opinions

Anyways...I personally loved this movie. This is the movie I have been waiting for allllllllll summer. A summer action flick that I actually enjoyed, probably because it had originality. I disliked spiderman three and was bored with pirates three mainly because they tried to stuff too much in one movie and failed. Transformers was cool, but it didn't deliver like I thought it would. So once school came around...I looked back on my summer and was surprised to realize that there wasn't a real memorable movie. Then I saw previews for War and Shoot 'Em Up and thought, that between the two, one would have to be awesome...well it wasn't War, but luckily Shoot 'Em Up came through.

I choose to see this movie as a satire of all the over the top action movies that take themselves seriously. My friends and I (and the rest of the theater) were cracking up at every bad line of dialouge and every gravity defying, carrot wielding scene. Clive Owen was amazing at being...well Clive Owen, playing a similar character to the one in Sin City. Monica Bellucci was great at being a sexy prostitute and Paul Giamatti was (as always) good at being a fun character to watch.

Anyways I'm putting this one up with a coolness factor as high as 300. Just like 300, I see it as the perfect guy movie, with violence, sexy and a hot prostitute...who could ask for more?

9/10

[Darth Maul]

haha...wow I love people that get all mad if someone likes a movie that they didn't or vice versa...calm down...it's called opinions

Anyways...I personally loved this movie. This is the movie I have been waiting for allllllllll summer. A summer action flick that I actually enjoyed, probably because it had originality. I disliked spiderman three and was bored with pirates three mainly because they tried to stuff too much in one movie and failed. Transformers was cool, but it didn't deliver like I thought it would. So once school came around...I looked back on my summer and was surprised to realize that there wasn't a real memorable movie. Then I saw previews for War and Shoot 'Em Up and thought, that between the two, one would have to be awesome...well it wasn't War, but luckily Shoot 'Em Up came through.

I choose to see this movie as a satire of all the over the top action movies that take themselves seriously. My friends and I (and the rest of the theater) were cracking up at every bad line of dialouge and every gravity defying, carrot wielding scene. Clive Owen was amazing at being...well Clive Owen, playing a similar character to the one in Sin City. Monica Bellucci was great at being a sexy prostitute and Paul Giamatti was (as always) good at being a fun character to watch.

Anyways I'm putting this one up with a coolness factor as high as 300. Just like 300, I see it as the perfect guy movie, with violence, sexy and a hot prostitute...who could ask for more?

9/10

:)

[Inval1d]

best concept for a movie.

lets make every scene a gun fighting scene. :D

best parts - the merry-go-round lol

and the parachuting scene. nothing says great movie then that lmao


:D

[SaltyDog]

Since I saw the trailer a few months back I was anticipating and interested in viewing this flick. It has Owen and Giamatti two of my favorite actors and the beautiful seductive Monica Belliucci. I thought it would be great fun. It wasn't.

I was at a newstand this week and saw a movie magazine that had a cover picture of Clive Owens with the header "OWENS CONQUERS HOLLYWOOD". All I can say is "if Owens and Giamatti continue to do pics like this" they can look forward to appearing in headlines more in the way of "How A-List stars fall in Hollywood".

First, I would be lying if I said I didn't like the action sequences which although silly and ridiculous and "off the wall and so over the top" were fast paced and creative in ways we really haven't seen before. Of course the action thrills and excitement was overshadowed by the lewd-da-crous (my own word) screenplay which seems as if written and directed by some teenage kid with warts on his hands and who like one of the character spends to much time in the bathroom. So overall, the picture delivers some fast action sequences and is fast paced and funny in parts but the bad and abundent ridiculous overshadows the good where you just don't get the enjoyment that could have being.

[Matrix_Fan]

ok honestly, darth maul and matrix fan, are there any movies you do not like? it seems if the movie has good advertising, and sucks in the demographic (you) you enjoy it, i haven't even seen you give a movie under a 10. its seriously so strange... its like the saying 'ignorance is bliss' then you sit there and swear everyone else is the stupid ones for expecting something of a story/plot.

Well, to answer your question. No. I do not like everything I see. If you read some of my reviews, I have not given everything a 10 out of 10. There are very few movies this year I have given that honor. Advertising and demographic have nothing to do with me rating a movie. What matters is if I enjoyed it. If I am entertained, and involved with what is going on on the screen, then I call the film a success. As for ratings, it's basically how much of a success it is. If it completely envelops me in it's greatness, with no real flaws, then it gets the honorable 10 out of 10. If it's great, yet a a few flaws, then it's a 9 or under. Once from 5 under is when I deem the film either very flawed, or a monumental failure.

[Tolkien]

Well, all I know is this; I hated it. I tried to like it for what it was, but in the end, it just didn't take for me. I'm glad that all of you guys liked it, and to an extent, so did I. But overall I just couldn't bring myself to loving it. Of course, there were a couple of uniquely funny gun-battles that I had a laugh with, but in the end, they weren't enough for me to sit back and enjoy the whole film. Again, this is just my opinion, nothing more. I'm not coming here saying that everyone who loved it is wrong at all. That's [add name here]'s job. lmao.

[Where's my elephant?]

Just got back from a matinee. There were only about 5-10 in my showing but the audience (including me) got into it and loved the offbeat humor and action. Cult classic on the horizon is just about written in stone.

I agree with some of you that it's just a simple action movie with offbeat humor that shouldn't be analyzed too much for lack of "realism." This is why I'm a sucker for movies like this and Tango And Cash.

However, wouldn't it have been sweet if Owen killed off Giamatti with his carrot instead of the gun? The final kill with the organs showing was awesome though, don't get me wrong.

9/10

[SaltyDog]

This film really surprised me...the boxoffice take that is. I didn't care for it but only 7 million thus far. With the good reviews, for the most part, I would have thought with Clive Owens and Paul Giamatti and all the actions sequences the young crowd, even though rated R, would have jumped on this and made this a boxoffice hit. Wonder what happened. I suppose if it had opened in the Summer it would have done much better at the boxoffice. Of course, hindsight never brought in an extra ticket sold. If you are either of these two stars this does not look good on your resume.