Shoot ‘Em Up is sure to go down in history as one of the most baffling
motion pictures to be released in 2007. What could have been a brilliant caricature of a modern-day action blockbuster quickly turned into a weird
exploration of sexuality and gun culture with confusing allusions to the Looney Tunes. Clive Owen--whose performance, though outstanding, is not nearly enough to save this film--plays a disillusioned man named Smith.
Much of Shoot 'Em Up parallels the storyline of the 2006 dystopian film Children of Men. Long story short: Smith is at a bus stop, gnawing on a carrot when he witnesses a group of thugs chasing down a pregnant young female. Smith reacts to save her and ends up delivering her child before she is killed.
Smith must now seek refuge for himself and his charge (a particularly odd pairing) and avoid a seemingly endless stream of baddies, lead by Paul Giamatti. Giamatti is a convincing bad guy, but then again, when is he not?
The film's final scenes are confusing and disjointed and the action scenes are a big let down when juxtaposed with the rising cost of movie tickets.