Shoot 'Em Up… Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
Shoot ‘Em Up is the grindhouse movie that Harvey Weinstein seemed to think he was going to get when he gave free reign to Tarantino and Rodriguez. As B movie thrill rides go, the screenplay by Michael Davis kicks Grindhouse ass.
Now don’t get me wrong. As a director, Michael Davis is not in the class of Tarantino, Rodriguez, Bay, or even Wiseman at this point in his directing career (the very start). He had a bigger budget for this film than for any of his direct-to-DVD features that he previously knocked out … but still nothing in comparison to any of the other directors. Would the extra money have helped? Who knows how much or how little?
However, Davis as screenwriter – with a hand from producers Murphy, Montford, and Benattar and, of course, veteran make-it-work editor Peter Amundson – doesn’t let us look at his directing limitations for very long. Usually when people say a movie is wall-to-wall action, they are engaged in hyperbole. Not this time.
The rest…
Well, just so long as it is better than Smokin’ Aces, which promised to be a one long B-flick shoot’em up, and just plain sucked.
Michael Davis’ flick, 100 Girls, is actually a guilty pleasure for me. But it might just be because I think Emmanuelle Chriqui is one of the most beautiful women on the planet. Seguing from that flick to Shoot ‘Em Up is an interesting leap.
Me… right on. Smokin Aces sucked. It sucked at an absurd level. May this flick pay-off and get Chris Jericho more acting gigs!
This film tries less hard to explain itself than Smokin’ Aces, which makes it go down easier.
Who be need the explainin? When there be EXPLOSIONS! WOO HOO SHELLY SUE! CLIVE OWEN GOING TO BE BLOWING STUFF UP TONIGHT! YEEHAW!
It’s not an explosion movie. It’s a darkly comedic, totally bent, cartoon version of a John Woo film (the HK ones). The action scenes have a insane Rube Goldberg sort of feel to them. Mr. Smith does a lot of clever stuff with guns. And it has literally ten times as much action as Smokin’ Aces. That film had one scene, and it ended adruptly. This has 11 or 12 borderline genius action scenes. The film is FUN.
PLANT!
Smokin Aces totally sucked. It was beyond awful. I’d go so far as to say it’s as bad as The Black Dahlia, which is up there for worst movie ever made.
Let’s hope Shoot Em Up delivers. Clive Owen is one of the coolest actors working right now, which bodes well.
You’re totally right. I posted on here a thousand times before, on every other subject under the sun, in order to make one fraudulent post about Shoot ‘Em Up.
Rothcild, that’s called a BIT OF BUSINESS. Seriously dude, you are just crapping all over the comedy, and you are a PLANT. PLANTY PLANT PLANT PLANTY PLANT PLANT PLANT! Plant.