Shoot 'Em Up [Blu-ray]

Ammo Burner (2008-11-04) Rating: 4/5
A fun ride in the style of Peckinpah and John Woo. The smell of burning gunpowder and bullets flying. A lot of dark humor also.
THIS movie is Ridiculous! (2008-11-02) Rating: 1/5
I watched this movie the other day with my friends and it feels like some very bad video game where one guy is invincible. The plot makes no sense and the blood and gore is overdone. It is basically about some British Agent that kills around 500 people by the end of the movie mainly by a Magnum. Too much sexual stuff; definitely not for under 17. Don't waste your time.
Great Action Movie (2008-10-26) Rating: 4/5
This film is just filled with some unbelievable action by all of the actors. My family really, really liked this film.
A love-hate movie that I loved (2008-09-15) Rating: 5/5
"Shoot 'Em Up" is a straight-faced over-the-top parody of the action movie genre. Profoundly silly one-liners after shooting a guy? Check. No backstory about our cookie-cutter characters? Got it. An overly convoluted plot that makes no sense at all? Yep. The ability of the hero to run away from 10 guys shooting at him a close range? Check. And stunts that would kill a regular human being 10 times over, from which the hero walks away? About every 5 minutes.

Where most action movies present these elements and expect us to swallow them, "Shoot 'Em Up" goes so far over the top that it flings those elements, and others, right in the audience's face as part of its bone-dry parody. I think that's why this movie is so polarizing - whether you like this kind of thing is a matter of taste. For example, whether you find a pro-gun-control gunfighting hero to be head-scratching or funny as heck will depend completely on your sense of humor.

For this film to work, Owen and Giamatti had to own their characters completely, as ridiculous as they were, and they definitely did so. The pace has to keep moving so you don't stop and think about the details too much, and it certainly did. At 90 minutes, this film is just long enough.

The irony is that "Shoot 'Em Up," even as a parody of the genre, is a superior example of the genre. It's at least worth a rent, particularly if you have Blu-Ray - the Blu-Ray transfer is fantastic.
Paul Giamatti Steals the Show! (2008-09-13) Rating: 4/5
This is a stylized action-thriller with an improbable plot (much like Crank or The Transporter). This movie starts out with action and doesn't let up until the end. If you enjoy the low on plot high on entertainment value film genre then this is for you. Paul Giamatti is a special treat with great lines throughout the movie and a memorable character.