Clive Owen stars as Mr. Smith – a carrot chomping mystery man minding his own business and waiting for the bus when a pregnant woman is chased by some thugs into a nearby building.  Of course, he comes to her aid, and quickly finds he needs to keep the baby safe from Mr. Hertz (Paul Giamatti) and his goons. 

Why is Mr. Hertz after the baby?  How did Mr. Smith become so good with a gun?

Shoot ‘Em Up is ludicrous, ridiculous, campy and wildly over the top, which is just the way it should be.  Writer/director Michael Davis intentionally shapes the movie into a violent, live action cartoon with sequences too crazy to believe, but crazy enough to entertain people who are fans of films like Sin City, Grindhouse and 300 (which means YOU if you took the time to read this review). 

Instead of being repulsed by the campiness, you will find yourself embracing it since Davis never pretends that the movie should be taken seriously.  Shoot ‘Em Up is a visual romp intended to make you laugh at its silliness, throw your mouth agape in awe at the tactics Mr. Smith uses to fight the bad guys and make you gasp as our hero defies logic to defeat entire armies of gunmen trying to kill him.

Then, Davis gives us some delicious one-liners and wry observations from Mr. Hertz, played perfectly by Giamatti as he gets all of the best dialogue and chews up the scenery.   Plus, you will love Mr. Smith’s rants and vigilante justice to rectify uncivil behavior that bothers all of us, which makes Shoot ‘Em Up into a wish fulfillment fantasy for the normal and courteous.   

The story is not very deep, and gets a bit convoluted towards the end, but the story is not the reason you go to see this movie.  

3 Waffles (Out of 4)

Shoot 'Em Up is rated R for pervasive strong bloody violence, sexuality and some language. 

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