You'll often hear movie reviewers and others referencing or otherwise discussing "cartoon violence." While that can refer to violent acts found in animated TV shows aimed at kids (particularly in regard to how it affects and/or influences them), I'm referring to the sort found in live-action films that's so over the top that it usually isn't taken seriously, no matter how graphic the outcome might be of said material.
Of course, the term gets that name from cartoons of old, where the likes of Tom (of Tom and Jerry fame) as well as Donald and Daffy Duck, along with Yosemite Sam and Elmer Fudd had all sorts of seemingly horrible things happen to them, but then ended up no worse for the wear just moments later.
I suppose it's appropriate then that the otherwise anonymously named anti-hero Mr. Smith (Clive Owen) carries around and chomps down on a carrot and even mouths the familiar "What's up doc?" line in "Shoot 'Em Up." After all, he's just a hybrid (albeit a decidedly adult version) of Bugs Bunny, the wisecracking hare who similarly dispatched heavily armed villains in all of those classic cartoon shorts from yesteryear.
The beauty of the rascally rabbit was that he acted upon his impulses without much thought or worry about the consequences, something of the id personified. Mr. Smith operates in a roughly similar manner, although the outcome of his actions is decidedly more deadly (not to mention permanent), and he's a bit more irritated with the world around him, particularly regarding those who inhabit it with him.
Accordingly, when a rude driver cuts him off and creates other traffic mayhem, Smith drives him off the road. And when a bunch of armed goons chase after a pregnant woman and try to make her newborn an orphan, he does what comes naturally to him -- he kills them in a highly skilled and efficient way.
That doesn't sit well with Yosemite, uh, Hertz (Paul Giamatti), an increasingly frustrated and manic hitman who wants both the woman and the child killed. Of course, he didn't count on Smith getting in the way, and thus calls in reinforcements when his first squad fails the seemingly simple task at hand. What follows is one outrageous action sequence after another, as Smith and his unlikely partner, a lactating prostitute (Monica Belluci), try to keep the child out of harm's way.
All of it's incredibly violent, profane, and certainly not for any young eyes, but it's also quite a bit of giddy fun. That's particularly true if you like action films on steroids, where anything goes and everything is so excessive that none of it's remotely taken seriously, no matter the body count or reprehensible behavior on display.
While not even in the same ballpark in terms of filmmaking quality, the movie is something of a continuation of Owen's child-protector part in "Children of Men." Yet, whereas he didn't use any weapons in that terrific pic, here he's quite the opposite, a modern day vigilante who takes care of the evil gunslinger who's ridden into town with his gang to kill the innocent (the Western motifs thrown in by writer/director Michael Davis are impossible to ignore).
Notwithstanding the increasingly preposterous physical stunts (culminating in a skydiving battle where winds, trajectories and increasingly apparent gravity don't seem to affect his character's resolve or aim), Owen is a blast in the part, playing something of an anti-James Bond type character. The fact that he had been considered for that part during the last 007 changeover adds some interesting motivation to his performance, complete with Bond meets Schwarzenegger type quips.
Giamatti, on the other hand, seems miscast, mainly based on the previous characters he's embodied. Even so, he seems to enjoy taking this one so far over the top that he essentially becomes a cartoon, so much so that you expect steam to erupt from his ears at any moment due to his continued and growing frustration of being stymied. Belluci is okay as the wet nurse hooker with a heart of gold, but she doesn't really add anything to the proceedings beyond some estrogen and completing the third part of the unlikely family dynamic.
Of course, anyone looking for some sort of deeper meaning and/or theme in a film that starts with the studio's logo being riddled with bullets in the opening moments, is followed by a gunshot severing the umbilical cord between the marked woman and her child, and contains increasingly outrageous stunts, will likely come up disappointed.
On the other hand, and as long as you don't mind the decidedly vulgar material, you might just get a kick out of the decently choreographed action sequences that seemingly know no bounds. The result is an unabashed guilty pleasure that will likely leave less discerning viewers giddy with action-filled delight. For what is it, "Shoot 'Em Up" rates as a 6 out of 10, and that's all folks.
![[Logo]](/images/screenit_logo2.jpg){kind=logo}
