Most of the early reviews of Shoot 'em Up described it as being one long, non-stop, ninety minute action sequence, without any plot or characterisation whatsoever. I'd disagree with such assessments, though the action scenes are fast, furious and frequent. Reviewers who argue that this movie bears no relation to reality and is filled with ridiculous stunts that ignore the laws of physics are missing the point: Shoot -em Up is clearly intended to be a satire. Director Michael Davis knows how ridiculous and excessive the big-budget Hollywood action film has become, and so has made a movie that celebrates the glorious absurdities of the genre, while simultaneously poking fun at it's in-built outlandishness (Davis isn't the first film-maker to go down this route. For other examples that adopt the same approach, see Con Air, the Charlie's Angels films, Torque, and the more subtle & misunderstood Escape From LA).
Prior to release, much was spoken about Shoot 'em Up being a homage/tribute to John Woo, and while there are some typical Woo-style flourishes, the general tone of the movie reminds me more of The Replacement Killers, while some of the gunfights seem clearly inspired by Kurt Wimmer, writer/director of the cult hit Equilibrium and the under-rated Ultraviolet. You sense that this was a film which the cast all had fun making, especially Paul Giamatti, who's clearly enjoying himself enormously as a sleazy, pitbull-like henchman.
Prior to release, much was spoken about Shoot 'em Up being a homage/tribute to John Woo, and while there are some typical Woo-style flourishes, the general tone of the movie reminds me more of The Replacement Killers, while some of the gunfights seem clearly inspired by Kurt Wimmer, writer/director of the cult hit Equilibrium and the under-rated Ultraviolet. You sense that this was a film which the cast all had fun making, especially Paul Giamatti, who's clearly enjoying himself enormously as a sleazy, pitbull-like henchman.