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Proper Use Of Carrot
Shoot 'Em Up is an action film; and I don't know if I have ever used that phrase more accurately. It's also a stupid one, more so than your average summer blockbuster and certainly not in an exaggerated caricature way Grindhouse is stupid. Key point is, it's not ashamed to admit it. It goes, self-confidently, into places where other action films are hesistant even to take a shy step. And when the action is even more than simply overblown, the film ceases to be showy and becomes fresh and exciting. Plausibility is no longer among the criteria.
Shoot 'Em Up is a new age B-movie, not a homage, not a tribute but the real deal. On display here is the same mentality that produced the most absurdly violent films of the '70s. It's a film where baby cords are blown by guns and rivals say "fuck you" to each other by blowing up letters in neon signs. Our hero gets to shoot people in every inconceivable situation, yet the aim, it appears, is not killing your enemy but appearing cooler than him when fighting. Davis' film is somewhere in between an old exploitation flick and a late third-person shooter; it's where video games meet movies, and the old embraces the new.
Shoot 'Em Up plays by the conventions, uses extremes but still gets away with it. It's one of those rare examples of a film where lines like "fuck you, you fucking fuck" does not sound over-the-top. Besides, despite all the extremities, the film is still semi-plausible: the bullets are numbered, the enemy attacks in reasonable numbers and what our hero gets to accomplish is less than saving our planet. Tortures are simple yet painful, even to watch. The action is so tight that there is no time for drama speeches. And this is probably why I hated the ending - after all this build-up, what can be worse than the villain stopping for chit chat on the eve of killing our beloved protagonist?
7/10
Cihan Says:
Shoot'em Up aims to shock, and hits the mark at every turn. The pace is kept high continuosly so that the audience utters one "wtf" after another, and hence they have no time to think on the last oddity. However, if it fails to get you into its grasp, if you take one step back and start considering what is going on, it has nothing to offer you.
The first surprise triggered my cynicism, not my interest. And cynicism forbids you to go with the flow, instead you see every annoying gimmick, from meaningless action sequences -which we see too much of these days- to the absurd conspiracy that had no need to be as far fetched. Exaggeration was the key, and its use was exaggerated.
At the end, for me Shoot 'Em Up is a waste of the presence of two talented actors, and nothing more.
Not aiming to be serious is not an excuse for being ridiculous.
2/10
Shoot 'Em Up is a new age B-movie, not a homage, not a tribute but the real deal. On display here is the same mentality that produced the most absurdly violent films of the '70s. It's a film where baby cords are blown by guns and rivals say "fuck you" to each other by blowing up letters in neon signs. Our hero gets to shoot people in every inconceivable situation, yet the aim, it appears, is not killing your enemy but appearing cooler than him when fighting. Davis' film is somewhere in between an old exploitation flick and a late third-person shooter; it's where video games meet movies, and the old embraces the new.
Shoot 'Em Up plays by the conventions, uses extremes but still gets away with it. It's one of those rare examples of a film where lines like "fuck you, you fucking fuck" does not sound over-the-top. Besides, despite all the extremities, the film is still semi-plausible: the bullets are numbered, the enemy attacks in reasonable numbers and what our hero gets to accomplish is less than saving our planet. Tortures are simple yet painful, even to watch. The action is so tight that there is no time for drama speeches. And this is probably why I hated the ending - after all this build-up, what can be worse than the villain stopping for chit chat on the eve of killing our beloved protagonist?
7/10Cihan Says:
Shoot'em Up aims to shock, and hits the mark at every turn. The pace is kept high continuosly so that the audience utters one "wtf" after another, and hence they have no time to think on the last oddity. However, if it fails to get you into its grasp, if you take one step back and start considering what is going on, it has nothing to offer you.
The first surprise triggered my cynicism, not my interest. And cynicism forbids you to go with the flow, instead you see every annoying gimmick, from meaningless action sequences -which we see too much of these days- to the absurd conspiracy that had no need to be as far fetched. Exaggeration was the key, and its use was exaggerated.
At the end, for me Shoot 'Em Up is a waste of the presence of two talented actors, and nothing more.
Not aiming to be serious is not an excuse for being ridiculous.
2/10
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