I’m not really a fan of the action-movie genre – I’ve always thought that I could make better use of my time watching films that are more about brain than brawn, and about plot and witty dialogue and character development rather than, well, explosions and bombs and heartstopping stunts that are becoming increasingly meaningless now with the advent of CGI and all the gravity that allows film-makers to defy. Oh, I’m not adverse to watching them, but I don’t seek them out.
Shoot ‘Em Up, however, was the exception: I’ve been reading about writer-director Michael Davis’ no-holds-barred, rather bonkers homage to the entire genre, and my curiosity was piqued. Certainly it sounded intriguing enough for me to take a chance on it at the cinema: the mysteriously capable Smith (Clive Owen) seems like just another ordinary bloke hanging out at a bus-stop – until he spots a crying woman with a baby, running from a gangster who looks set to rough her up. When Clive saves the woman, he suddenly finds himself embroiled in an epic conspiracy the likes of which he could never have expected: turns out the baby is desperately wanted by a gang of violent hoodlums headed by the bloodthirsty, snarling Hertz (Paul Giamatti). Drawn in by circumstance, Smith decides to stay on the job for the sake of the baby, and soon brings an old flame into the picture – Donna (Monica Bellucci), a lactating hooker (a phrase I never imagined I’d ever use, but there’s a first time for everything, I guess!) whose abilities mean she can help him keep the baby safe and fed.
So plot-wise, the film clearly isn’t meant to be particularly coherent. In fact, Davis seems to take great delight in creating as madcap and close-to-ridiculous storyline as he can get away with: as the story unfolds and the proceedings rattle along at breakneck speed, you find yourself suspending increasing amounts of disbelief. The conspiracy that unfolds around the baby and Smith, dragging in politicians like presidential hopeful Senator Rutledge (Daniel Pilon) and shady businessman Hammerson (Stephen McHattie), clearly isn’t the point of the film. Nor are the characters, really: you’d best not be watching SEU to learn more about the lives of rounded, genuine people… because most of these characters are out-of-this-world wacky. Smith, despite his knowledge of pretty much everything gun-related and uncanny ability to dodge every bullet known to man, is as close as one gets to a normal, grounded presence in the film. Davis does attempt to bring in a little character development, as he drops in hints about Smith’s background and what exactly went into making him the man of mystery he is.
But, again, not the point. The action set-pieces are really the entire reason Davis wanted to make the film: he had, in fact, storyboarded the lot of them extensively, to ensure that every shot was ready to go should he pick up the financing he required for the movie. And trust me when I say that there’s no doubt that, once he got the green light to do so, Davis went to town with the action scenes in SEU. If you’re an action fan of any sort, you might have several orgasmic experiences watching the increasingly inventive gun-battles and car chases Smith engages in to save himself, baby and Donna. Some of the most outstanding gunfights take place in the most bizarre settings imaginable: during sex (!), in the air, spinning around a highway… Davis goes through every conceivable permutation in plotting his gunfights, and it shows – you never go for more than a few minutes before the action explodes everywhere again, effectively meeting one of the key goals Davis set for himself in making this film.
If you can bring yourself to ignore the flimsy plot and poor character development, and the abundance of action scenes (they get quite wearying after all, the umpteenth time Smith dodges a hailfire of bullets), there’s a lot more to be enjoyed in SEU too – Davis injects a welcome cheeky strain of humour into the film, which sees bad guys being taken out by carrots (Smith’s food obsession and occasional weapon of choice), even as he balances it with some true menace in the form of Giamatti’s completely unhinged hitman-for-hire Hertz. As he continually fields calls from his nagging wife, Hertz plays the quintessential if somewhat distant family man – while firing off interminable rounds, occasionally into his employees’ butts, or railing at how a gaggle of his men could have been taken out by just one guy (Smith, obviously).
In this regard, Davis is helped remarkably by the fact that his cast is completely clued-in to what he’s up to in making this film, and share his willingness to play the weird and surreal completely straight – thus making it even weirder and more surreal. Giamatti is evidently having the time of his life here, chewing the scenery with little regard for understatement – but that’s what makes the film work, the swagger and cocky confidence of a cold-blooded homicidal maniac trapped in the body of a schlub. Owen, too, lends his charm and intelligence to what could otherwise have been a blank, frustrating character – a lesser actor might have bungled the few moments of genuine emotion Smith is allowed in between shoot-outs, but Owen makes the best of them and almost turns them into something genuinely affecting.
The one thing Davis will never be accused of, now that he has this movie on his CV? Lacking audacity. A wacky, entertaining spin on the action genre, SEU is so ludicrous and over-the-top and just plain fun that it’s almost too good to resist – in a way, you almost have to see it, just to believe the insanity, panache and bucketloads of self-conscious style that went into making the film.
shawneofthedead 