Carrots and milk? (Shoot 'Em Up (DVD))

Member Name: Mutalisk

Product:	Shoot 'Em Up (DVD)
Date:	25/02/09 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Light-hearted, not pretentious, short and sweet.

Disadvantages: Unrealistic

Less than two minutes into this film, Clive Owen has already killed ten men and delivered a baby. This gives an idea of just how action-packed and ridiculous this movie is. In a role not wholly dissimilar to; although far more light-hearted than his performance in the critically acclaimed 'Children of Men,' Clive Owens's character's primary concern is once again protecting a newborn baby, this time from a tirade of gunfire, delivered by Paul Giamatti.
Alongside Clive Owen is Monica Bellucci, who portrays a hooker, able to breastfeed the helpless infant. She should feel privileged to be quite possibly the first woman ever to play a miraculously lactating prostitute in the history of cinema.
The body count in this movie is immense, complemented by the Max-Payne-esque, videogame style combat, with endless repetition of the act of shooting. To make the film appear less serious, (as if that were a problem!) Owens's character, a sharpshooter, is constantly eating carrots....yes, carrots. This supposedly improves his vision and aim. A few times in the film, the carrots themselves are used as weapons in ways which are highly innovative, if just a tad absurd.
Given the nature of the film itself, 86 minutes of 'switch-your-brain-off' ludicrousness, devoted entirely to action, (thankfully short enough not to become too tiresome.) it can hardly be judged purely on artistic merit or storyline. One of the elements it is lacking in however, is quality of character development. The lead protagonist, a seemingly indestructible gunman, barking instantly forgettable one-liners almost at random, is, needless to say, a tired cliché. The same could also be said for Paul Giamatti's character, who is the stereotypical, gun-toting, pony tailed villain.
While the film is fun, well-directed and, for want of a better word, cool on occasion, it needs to be said that Shoot-'em-up doesn't really bring anything new to the table. Nonetheless, it is certainly worth seeing. Buying the DVD, on the other hand, probably won't be worth your money. If you are however, a fan of Clive Owen's, you may want to consider Children of Men on DVD, which is definitely a sound purchase!

Summary: A switch-your-brain-off thrill-fest that's worth watching just the once.