Life > September 13, 2007

By Lukia Kliossis | Staff writer

The title alone made me go into seeing this movie with very low expectations. Let’s just say that the movie failed to even meet those expectations.

After the bizarre first five minutes of the movie, which opened with a woman giving birth in the midst of a shooting, I wanted to walk out of the theater. However, I decided to endure this 87-minute movie, thinking it may get better.

Don’t let the cast of this movie fool you. Despite having big names such as Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti, Shoot ‘Em Up proves to be an action movie full of implausible events that at times reach the level of absurdity.

Owen plays a man named Mr. Smith, who witnesses the murder of a pregnant woman and devotes himself to saving the life of the newborn child from the evil Hertz (Giamatti) and his henchmen.

Smith recruits a prostitute, who is known as Dairy Queen, to help him take care of the baby. Played by Monica Belluci, DQ accompanies Smith as he traipses around the city.

The love story between Smith and DQ is overshadowed by the constant violence. Furthermore, even though Smith is trying to be the hero and save this newborn child, he is still not a very likable character, as he seems cold and distanced from society.

The details of the plot are secondary to the fast-paced action scenes. If you like over-the-top action movies, you may enjoy this. One positive thing about this movie was that it didn’t drag at all.

However, the movie is so unrealistic that I found myself just laughing at its ridiculousness. At one point, Smith killed a guy by stabbing him in the eye with a carrot. The movie also featured an aerial shootout in which Smith managed to kill about a dozen men and land on the ground unscathed.

I do admit that Giamatti was very convincing as the sadistic criminal mastermind Hertz. His performance is one of the highlights of the movie. However, I cannot help but wonder why any respected actor, especially Clive Owen, would have chosen to add this movie to his resume. Overall, this is the type of movie that will end up for sale for $5.50 at Target.

Of course, if you like unrealistic action movies, you may leave with different feelings. My favorite part was its brevity.