Shoot 'Em Up (2007)

Director:

Michael Davis

Writer (WGA):

Michael Davis (written by)

Release Date:

7 September 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Just another family man making a living.

Plot:

A man named Mr. Smith delivers a woman's baby during a shootout, and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen.

Plot Keywords:

Baby | Bus | Shootout | Prostitute | Rescue

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Clive Owen	...	Smith
Paul Giamatti	...	Hertz
Monica Bellucci	...	Donna Quintano
Stephen McHattie	...	Hammerson
Greg Bryk	...	Lone Man
Daniel Pilon	...	Senator Rutledge
Sidney Mende-Gibson	...	Baby Oliver
Lucas Mende-Gibson	...	Baby Oliver
Kaylyn Yellowlees	...	Baby Oliver
Ramona Pringle	...	Baby's Mother
Julian Richings	...	Hertz's Driver
Tony Munch	...	Man Who Rides Shotgun
Scott McCord	...	Killer Shot in Behind
Wiley M. Pickett	...	1st Killer (as Wiley Pickett)
Stephen R. Hart	...	Club Bouncer

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive strong bloody violence, sexuality and some language.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:18 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #43319) | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:R | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Argentina:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Malaysia:18SG | Philippines:R-13 | Sweden:15 | New Zealand:R18 | Taiwan:R-18 | Portugal:M/16 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Brazil:16 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Toronto Film Studios, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

There is a slight Warner Brothers theme throughout the film, with Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. Mr. Smith (Clive Owen) is wise cracking and only eats carrots throughout the film, whilst Hertz (Paul Giamatti) hunts him like a darker Elmer Fudd (note the similar facial structure).

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Smith places Oliver on the roundabout, as he approaches the roundabout the sock being used as a hat is hanging out over Smith's arm, but in the next shot is tucked underneath him.

Quotes:

[first lines]
1st Killer: You're dead, bitch!
[walks past Smith]
1st Killer: What the hell you looking at?

Movie Connections:

References Sideways (2004)

Soundtrack:

Coral Den

Gun Porn At Its Best

I wasn't really sure what to make of this movie before I went to the advanced screening. I heard from a friend of mine at the Chicago Tribune (she's female, and you'll see why that matters in a second) and she said, "It was so stupid! It was like, BANG BANG BANG, EXPLETIVE EXPLETIVE EXPLETIVE, BANG BANG BANG! Then gallons of blood and we move on." For some reason, the little boy in me that loved the scene in Predator where all of the soldiers shoot at open woods for a complete minute, got very excited. She wasn't kidding, either, that's just what this movie was. Don't worry about the plot, it's not really a concern. Don't worry about the script either, the lines are so over the top and shallow that you know a man wrote this script without allowing anyone to comment on it.

At the same time, this movie is just plain fun. You will find yourself laughing from the moment the movie starts to the ending (which you won't be glancing at your watch while waiting for). There are funny lines, funny situations, and stuff that is so impossible in the real world that you can't help but chuckle. Various moments during the film, I found myself applauding along with the audience, maybe not for the film, but for how writer/director Michael Davis got our hero out of another situation.

The directing, as opposed to the writing, was done very well, especially for a movie like this. If you take the directing too seriously, the script won't work, which is probably why Michael Davis did both. Clive Owen delivers another strong performance, adapting to the cheesy script and outrageous events like a participant in a prank or gag. Monica Bellucci plays the most serious role in the film, and still takes to mocking her life and situation in this movie like the rest of them. My favorite character would still have to be the sly Paul Giamatti, who is given some pretty crazy situations himself but they are coupled with the only lines of any intelligence (or longer than about four words).

By the end of this movie, I was having a lot of fun watching a plot unfold that I didn't really care about. That doesn't deter the film, though, because it's kind of like a stunt show, you're not really concerned with the story. I loved it and, apparently, so did most of the audience. It really reminded me of seeing, well, a live action movie that was more like a video game (we even have coordinated colors for the costumes of the "bad guys" in the various "levels"). I'd like to use this film as an example to my (former) favorite critic Roger Ebert as a perfect example of how video games can be construed in the same light as video games, because Roger, this is clearly a movie made by a large video game fan.