Guns Akimbo

Non-stop action that is so unbelievable that you will ask yourself who thought this crap up. But it works well. Daniel Radcliffe play the innocent character to a tee and makes all the wrong choices perfectly. Worth the watch.

If you loved the classic, Crank, give this a go. Damn, now I've over-hyped it.

Guns Akimbo is a cheap-looking, cheesy, pop-culture-quoting, ridiculously over-the-top relentless assault in the senses and that's what makes it so fun (or not, if you're one of the viewers who gave the film 2 stars).

"Guns Akimbo" or, in other words, Jason Lei Howden's millennial, culturally relevant in 2019 spiritual relative of "Crank". Jokes (and Howden's twitter mess) aside, "Guns Akimbo" provides some real fun, mostly in terms of action and other visual treats, with Radcliffe and Weaving adding bonus points. Other than that, it's flawed enough.

"Guns Akimbo" introduces us to a world much like ours plus "Schism", which we, thankfully, don't have as of yet. The hero, or, in simple terms, a loser (un)intentionally steps on Schism's admin's toes and now has been pitted against the champion Nix with revolvers bolted to his hands. What follows is nearly 90 minutes of action - chases, gunfights, racing, explosions and so on and so forth. It's undeniably entertaining visually and is supported by creative and dynamic camerawork, vivid and explosive color grading and crafty editing that's reaching over the line of overkill at times. Rest assured that violence gets provided in satisfactory amounts. There's so much action that compensates for the lack of some other elements & eventually "Guns Akimbo" can turn out mind-numbing for some. Radcliffe and Weaving are definitely having fun, offer up playful performances and some hit&miss one-liners. The comedy in "Guns Akimbo" is indeed of the hit&miss nature, perhaps maybe even more on the miss side. Jason Lei Howden has tried to insert social commentary, talk about our generation's thirst for blood and utter necessity to feel better at all times, the awful mess that internet is, but that all finishes its run in like the first 1/3 of the movie. Point being, "Guns Akimbo" essence and point is mostly just high entertainment value. And it's good in those terms. Besides our two shining leads, Ned Dennehy also adds some fun, being maybe a little too comicky, but eccentric and pleasantly insane villain.

"Guns Akimbo" is a top tier action flick, top notch indie eye candy & an absolute blast for the hero of the day, Daniel Radcliffe. Past all that, it's just an okay movie. If you need some fast-paced, no-brakes, easy-on-the-brain fun, this goes out as recommendation especially for You. My rating: 7/10.

I loved it and so did the two people I watched it with.

Yes, the movie is super violent. Yes, the violence is gratuitous. Yes, it is funny, but the humor is pretty NZ. (I actually laughed at one liners!!! Those that know me, know this is not my M.O.)

This movie is smart and silly and cliche in all the right ways. The camera work is crazy fast and a little nauseating at times, but you have to admire the creativity and sheer manic dedication. We all particularly loved the video game flourishes.

In fact, visually the movie is excellent, and we all agreed that the production value is off the chain. (Good work, everyone!) Acting is also excellent.

My personal favorite: the script is pretty tight- especially for a shoot 'em up, action film like this. It is fast and you have to pay attention. The writing doesn't spoon feed you anything, you have to keep up. Is the story ridiculous? YES! Does it follow some sort of logic? Yes again! I wasn't going to review this film until I saw all of the negative reviews which are frankly unmerited. I think a lot of people are put off by the female bad ass who shows no tit, does not fall in love, and remains a bad ass to the end. Yay sexism!

..and I loved every minute of it. How Radcliffe was talked into signing on to this movie I don't know, but I think every actor needs to star in one straight up, nonsensical, fun-loving trash movie. They don't all work but this one does. You just have to be willing to suspend belief and realize what you're signing up for for the next hour and a half ( let's be honest, you have to do that with almost every movie). It's a nonstop shoot 'em up, blood everywhere but still not particulalry gory kind of movie. If you don't mind trading in a great plot and fine acting for a dude with pistols bolted to both hands and a psychopathic hit woman intent on killing him, I highly recommend it.