SHOOT 'EM UP — *** — Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci; rated R (violence, gore, profanity, vulgarity, sex, nudity, torture, drugs, slurs)
You can think of "Shoot 'Em Up" as the most violent "Looney Tunes" cartoon that Warner Bros. never produced.
The violence may be performed with guns rather than oversized boxing gloves, mallets and assorted Acme Corp. gizmos. And the violence is live-action rather than animated. But this dark, comic action-thriller is definitely cartoonish.
If that's not enough, the lead character, played by Clive Owen, cracks wise while he eats carrots. (At one point, he even utters Bugs Bunny's infamous line, "What's Up, Doc?")
But don't be fooled by the cartoon descriptions. This deservedly R-rated movie is definitely not for children. Or for those offended by strong violence and sexual content. But for those who can stand the nonstop assault on their sensibilities, it's delightfully trashy, albeit irresponsible.
Owen's character here is known simply as Mr. Smith, and he accidentally stumbles into the middle of a gunfight between a pregnant woman (Ramona Pringle) and gun-wielding thugs. Smith is able to keep the gunmen at bay long enough to deliver the child, but, unfortunately, the woman is shot dead during the melee, leaving him in charge of the newborn boy.
Aided by a sympathetic prostitute, DQ (Monica Bellucci), Smith tries to discover why there's such a fuss over a child. All the while, he's being pursued by Mr. Hertz (Paul Giamatti), the gunmen's cold, calculating boss.
It's clear that screenwriter/director Michael Davis didn't mean for any of this briskly paced, nonsensical silliness to be taken seriously. And Owen and Giamatti definitely have their tongues in their cheeks as they trade gunfire and bad puns. Actually, it's best not to think about the implausibility of the convoluted plot, but rather to just enjoy the ride — if you can.
"Shoot 'Em Up" is rated R for strong scenes of violent action (shootings, stabbings, violence against women, children in peril, vehicular and explosive mayhem), graphic gore and blood, strong sexual language (profanity, vulgar slang terms and other suggestive talk), simulated sex and other sexual contact, female and partial male nudity, scenes of torture and interrogation, drug references, and slurs based on nationality. Running time: 83 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com