Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A man named Mr. Smith delivers a woman's baby during a shootout, and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen.
Shoot 'Em Up is a gleefully absurdist, hyper-stylized action film that practically defines its own subgenre of cartoonish ultra-violence. Its novelty is its strongest suit — the film commits fully to a ridiculous, over-the-top premise and executes it with a singular, anarchic energy that few action films dare to match. Clive Owen plays it perfectly straight against the chaos, and Paul Giamatti chews scenery with evident relish, elevating the acting above what the material demands. The cinematography leans into the kinetic, bullet-ballet aesthetic competently. However, the plot is tissue-thin even by action-movie standards — it exists purely as scaffolding for set pieces — and the ending deflates somewhat after the relentless escalation, failing to land a truly satisfying payoff.