Michael Davis must have had cartoons on the brain when he wrote Shoot ‘Em Up, a crazed, Bugs Bunny inspired romp of violence and sexualized stimulation, the likes of which we haven’t seen so prominently or joyously displayed since the ridiculously fun and nearly equally mindless 300. Shoot ‘Em Up isn’t meant to impress or woo moviegoers with its cleverness. In fact, if anything, Davis nods knowingly to audiences throughout, as his anti-hero Mr. Smith (Clive Owen) calmly delivers a baby while engaged in a warehouse gun battle, ironically crunches on raw carrots, occasionally using them as brutal weapons, and mutters one liners directly at the fourth wall.
If Owen seems miscast as the “world’s angriest man,” as his busty, lactating prostitute friend Donna calls him, the more mind-boggling choice for the ultra-villain Hertz is Paul Giamatti, who plays the human equivalent of Elmer Fudd, brazenly and unequivocally toeing the line between tasteless and deliciously over-the-top.
Davis has concocted a plot delirous with its own waggishness. After saving a baby from being killed by Hertz and his gang, Mr. Smith uncovers the *shock* shocking truth of the conspiracy–that babies are being harvested for marrow transplants for the country’s Democratic front-running presidential candidate, Senator Fletcher. The prominent owner of a gun company, who stands to lose much if Fletcher–and his gun control bill–gets voted into office, has hired Hertz to kill the Senator’s baby harvesting facilities and the respective “products.”
Mr. Smith is embroiled in the middle of it all when he tries to help a pregnant woman pursued by gunmen. Baby delivered, Smith must carry the hapless child around like a piece of luggage as he dispatches scores, to the horrifically mundane electric guitar score by Paul Haslinger.
Sound appetizing?
We get it. Violence is equally deplorable and enjoyable, and Americans are awash in the hypocrisy of it. Does Davis laugh at his little joke? You betcha. And we’re supposed to as well. Because despite the ludicrous premise, we’re still presented with entertainment that attempts to convey a moral lesson, regardless of the fact that the lesson is as tenuous as the realistic scenarios presented in Shoot ‘Em Up.
Still, one doesn’t get to see many movies in which the hero gets to shoot multiple assailants whilst mid-coitus. As Corny and obvious as this is, it’s at least fun. If you can turn off your brain, you’re likely to enjoy the non-stop action in Shoot ‘Em Up.
Fringe Rating: out of 5