Shoot 'Em Up (2007)

Director: Michael Davis

Starring: Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci

More Info: IMDB

Tagline: I'm a British nanny and I'm dangerous.

Plot: Late at night, in an unnamed U.S. city, a solitary man sits at a bus stop. A pregnant woman runs by, pursued by a man with a gun. With reluctance, the man at the bus stop rescues her and assists with the baby's delivery, while additional pursuers fire at them, including the gang's particularly nasty leader, an intuitive man named Hertz. Our hero, known only as Smith, determines to save the child and find out why Hertz wants the baby dead. At a local bordello, he tries to employ a lactating hooker to watch the child, but things quickly escalate, and this makeshift family is soon on the run. Heavy metal music calms the baby. Why? A laboratory, a gun factory, and a presidential campaign all figure in Smith's search for the child's ultimate safety.






My Rating: 9/10

Would I watch it again? Hell, yeah!

When I saw this in the theater I walked out feeling like I'd been on a wild, wild ride. So when I caught it a second time, on DVD, I was worried that I wouldn't have as much fun and boy was I wrong.

This movie's a gas from start to finish. Clive Owen IS the man. Ever since I first saw him in CROUPIER (HIGHLY recommended) I believed I was looking at the next James Bond once Brosnan stepped down. And when Owen was one of the top 3 guys being considered for the part and then turned it down I was disappointed. He's an actor that has that Connery had back in the 60s that just exuded raw manliness. Once I got over the idea that my ideal Bond wouldn't be Owen and that Craig was the new guy I was totally cool since I had just seen Craig in LAYER CAKE and I was very pleased that they chose a very good actor. And we all know how that turned out.

"Bond, James Bond"

At one point early on Owen picks up what appears to be a Walther PPK (Bond's favorite weapon) and says, "What a piece of crap" as he tosses it aside. It was with that moment I realized why he didn't take the Bond role. Because he's going to have a lot more fun playing roles like this instead of being tied down to 3, 4 or more pictures with the limitations of being that well-established character. He's getting to be Bond here only amped-up to the nth degree and having a lot more fun with it. Geez, I've barely talked about the movie.

It's obvious that everyone involved in this picture is having a blast - especially the two leads, Owen and Giamatti. Giamatti is hysterical and a welcome change to the hitman persona. He's smart, funny and brutal and has some of the best lines in the film. I loved his character and I hope that someday he'll bring him back for another adventure. There were moments where I felt Monica Bellucci was miscast. Maybe it was her accent, I don't know. But she's fluent in Italian, English, French and Spanish so I can't fault her on that. Girls that speak more than one language are HOT!

The film ends up being this violent dance between Owen and Giamatti that escalates from the first few minutes of incredulity to a massive demonstration on how far you can suspend your disbelief. But damn if it ain't one of the most enjoyable rides I've had in a long long time. And as soon as you're off you want to get back in line and do it all over again.