Shoot 'Em Up

No need for a clever blog title, Shoot 'Em Up says it all. There is, indeed, plenty of shooting in this movie. But the message is: "Guns are bad".

Clive Owen (who I somehow associate with Daniel Craig - hard-ass Brit?) is sitting at a bus stop, eating a carrot. A very pregnant woman runs by, pursued by a thug. Does he get involved? Indeed he does, delivering the baby in the midst of a running gun battle. He loses the mom, but escapes with the child, who we can call "MacGuffin". Yes, this is another "hardcase saddled with kid" movie, like Ultraviolet or Cassavetes' Gloria.

He enlists the help of "lactating whore" Monica Belluci to care for baby Mac and spends the rest of the movie tracking down or running from villain Paul Giametti. His line "Fuck me sideways" acknowledges that he is known for a very different type of character. He is a great villain and basically makes the movie.

So - action movie, lots of shooting, negligible plot - what about the tone? I don't want to give too much away, but here's a hint: Owen shoves his carrot into a bad guy's mouth, then slams it through his brain! That's right, kills him with a carrot. That wascally wabbit.

He also dives horizontally through the air, firing a pistol, while holding onto the newborn baby.

I think that pretty much sums it up. But actually, I could have stopped at the title.