Product Description

Clive Owen Paul Giamatti and Monica Bellucci star. Also included are deleted scenes making of the film 15 minutes of writer/director Michael Davis' original animatics and more!Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/CRIME UPC: 794043112331 Manufacturer No: 1000035231

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #537 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2008-01-01
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Digital Sound, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English, Italian, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 86 minutes

Amazon.com
Every action movie has a moment so over the top you have to laugh; Shoot 'Em Up consists of nothing but these moments. A carrot-eating, lone wolf kind of guy named Smith (Clive Owen, Children of Men, Inside Man) steps in to protect a pregnant woman from a gunman--and finds himself, with the aid of a lactating prostitute (Monica Belluci, The Matrix Revisited), defending the newborn child from a sleazy contract killer Mr. Hertz (Paul Giamatti, American Splendor, Sideways) and his army of thugs. That's pretty much the plot, but story is beside the point. Writer/director Michael Davis (Monster Man) has a keen sense of what matters in an action movie. The rapid-fire editing is scrupulously coherent; you always grasp what happened in every shoot-out, even if it flagrantly violates the laws of physics or basic plausibility. Explaining how Smith survives a four-story fall--even if that explanation is beyond ridiculous--demonstrates both a sense of wit and a winking respect for the audience's imagination. As a result, Shoot 'Em Up is ten times more entertaining than the likes of Transformers or Rush Hour 3, movies so self-satisfied with special effects or movie stars that they forgot to be fun. (Shoot 'Em Up's only weakness is a sliver of misogyny, the one action movie cliche that it's not clever enough to transcend.) --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Another Clive Own 'stinker'
What is it with Clive Owen and his choice of films to do? He was great in The Croupier and interesting as an assassin the first Bourne film, but here and in several other films (I'll Sleep When I'm Dead) he just isn't believable as a dumb, sadistic, violent guy--he's too smart to play that.

Here in Shoot em Up his character has no back story; his action scenes are fine but too unbelievable to be more than 'cartoonish', and his gorgeous love interest (Monic Bellucci) seems way too smart to be with such a simple 'thug'.

Add to the continuous action a bad guy (Paul Giamatti) who also seems unbelievable and you've got a mindless waste of time. And one more thing; this movie has a scene of nudity that is really disgusting and should have been cut--and I'm not speaking of any scene involving Monica Bellucci.

Shoot 'Em Up
A no brainer action movie if taken as that is fun to watch. I would have given it three and a half stars if I could have since I enjoyed it more than "Chaos". I have certainly seen far worse action movies. Afterall this one doesn't take itself seriously and that gives it a leg up over those that do. Clive Owen as always is quite entertaining. How he eliminates a couple enemies with carrots not to mention some of the shooting stunts should impress and amuse you. This may not have the depth of "Inside Man", but it was not meant to either. It was meant to be fun plain and simple. The story centers around our hero trying to save a pregnant woman. He manages to save her long enough to have her baby but then he can only save the baby from the government and criminal types so intent on their death. The mystery he unravels as to why has some depth of thought. This is a fast paced movie and most fans of action movies should enjoy it. Good quality DVD with fair replayability. If you enjoyed this catch "Kill Bill" and "Hitman". - C. Luster

Not for Everybody
I'm the first to admit that this movie isn't for everyone. You can tell from the reviews here how polarized the viewing audience is. For what it's worth, if this movie appeals to you, you will enjoy it immensely. If not, you'll hate it. There's not a lot of middle ground.

The movie is ultra-violent, yes, but in a cartoon violence way (if Bugs Bunny were R-rated that is) It's over-the-top, extreme, and comical. Yes, comical. Some of the kills are outright silly and laughable. That's what defines this movie.

The action is incredibly well choreographed. The scene involving the stairwell is just simply the most amazing action scene I think I've ever seen in a movie.

Will you like the movie? I don't know. But give it a try. You might despise it, and that would be understandable. I hated Sin City but love this, so go figure. I recognize the artistry behind it but don't actually like the movie. For Shoot 'Em Up, I loved both.

At the very least, even if you hate the movie, find the scene where Clive Owen is complaining about another driver not using his turn signal. That scene is laugh out loud funny and well worth seeking out in the movie!