American Gun (2005)

Seemingly disparate portraits of people -- among them a single mother, a high school principal, and an ace student -- Distinctly American -- all affected by the proliferation of guns in American society.

Director:

Aric Avelino

Writers:

Steven Bagatourian, Aric Avelino

Stars:

Marcia Gay Harden, Forest Whitaker, Donald Sutherland

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Janet Huttenson
Forest Whitaker	...	Carter
Donald Sutherland	...	Carl Wilk
Lisa Long	...	Sandra Cohen
Chris Warren Jr.	...	Marcus
David Heymann	...	Producer
Chris Marquette	...	David Huttenson
Amanda Seyfried	...	Mouse
Nikki Reed	...	Tally
Joseph Kell	...	Security Guard
Tony Goldwyn	...	Frank
Rex Linn	...	Earl
Kevin Phillips	...	Reggie
Davenia McFadden	...	Felicia
Linda Cardellini	...	Mary Ann Wilk

Storyline

A series of interwoven story lines brings to light how the proliferation of guns in America dramatically influence and shape every day lives. A gun shop owner, an ace student, a single mother, and a school principal are among those profoundly affected.

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Plot Keywords:

gun | single mother | student | school | school principal | 

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Taglines:

One nation under fire.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 March 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pesadelo Americano

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$9,355 (USA) (24 March 2006)

Gross:

$24,030 (USA) (26 May 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

IFC Films, Participant Productions, Spirit Dance Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The central idea for the film came from an article in the L.A. Times. In addition, the writers were influenced by a friend, who related stories about how students from a Chicago school district brought guns to school, not to use them inside, but because of the dangerous neighborhoods they live in or walk through every day.

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Goofs

When Carter grabs Jay as he is putting his gun behind the grate, Jay is wearing a toque and heavy jacket. In the next scene when he is being dragged down the hall, Jay isn't wearing the jacket or the hat.

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Connections

References Dragon Ball Z (1989)

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Soundtracks

"The Good Stuff"
Written by Schuyler Fisk and Dave Bassett
Performed by Schuyler Fisk
Courtesy of Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Informative and compelling drama about real life.

Another hard-hitting and thought-provoking drama. Director Aric Avelino examines guns from the perspective of four separate stories: Marcia Gay Hardin as the mother of an Oregon teenager who shot up his school, Columbine-like, and faces guilt and blame and scorn from neighbors, and worry about her other son, who is now the same age as the other brother when he performed his murderous act and suicide; an inner city school principal (excellently played by Forest Whitaker, who I was pleased to see won an Oscar last week for his role as Idi Amin in LAST KING OF Scotland) trying to stay on top of the school's anti-gun policy, with Arlen Escarpeta as an A-student carrying for his mom and family who feels he needs a gun for protection while walking to/from school; Tony Goldwyn as the cop who first arrived on scene at the Oregon school shooting and who faces community/media criticism for delayed response (again, very much based on Columbine); and Linda Cardellini who shines in a very convincing performance as a west coast girl displaced to a Virginia college who is working in her granddad's (Donald Sutherland) gun shot. All of the performances, in fact, are striking and through them the picture really has an emotional impact. The film, without comment, portrays these differing views of gun ownership, gun violence, school shootings, guilt, blame, etc., very nicely filmed and beautifully portrayed, its vignettes and its style leaving the viewer to establish their own viewpoint and opinions. The film keeps its personal viewpoint quiet, instead simply portraying a few aspects of American life impacted by the consequences of guns. Like American HISTORY X, I found this to be a provoking and stimulating drama about reality, choices, consequences, and inevitability, peopled by honest and real characters, superbly portrayed and beautifully composed.