Merrick again...
My man X-Ray Cat sent in this look at SHOOT ‘EM UP, the forthcoming project from Michael Davis. He LOVES this movie, which will undoubtedly make some folks scream “plant!”. He’s no a plant…not even vaguely vegetative as far as I can tell. Many of his past reviews have been harsh to say the least. Which means, simply, he really loved this movie – maybe enough to marry it. Which doesn’t surprise me. Since this screening, we’ve had a gaggle of giddy SHOOT ‘EM UP reviews, and only one that wasn’t so enthusiastic (if I recall correctly). Please note that this is a test screening, and the movie may change between now and its release next year. Hopefully not too much, though. It sounds like an orgasm of kickassity just like it is. Here’s Cat…

Hey, it's X-Ray Cat. I got to see an early test print of SHOOT 'EM UP. There's a part of me that wants to review this movie just by saying "holy fucking shit," and that wouldn't be wrong, but I doubt it would be published. Just know that if you were excited by the concept and the trailer, then the movie delivers exactly what you were hoping, ten fold. It's like when you go to a mediocre action movie, and in the theater bathroom afterwards, there's some redneck, frat boy, or other idiot telling his friends, "Man, that was okay, but why can't they make the action movie I really want to see? Like a movie that opens on a guy delivering a baby with one hand and shooting bad guys with the other, and then it only goes up from there." And you sort of laugh it off, but on the drive home, you're thinking "Shit, I WOULD like to see that movie." Well someone finally made it. An action movie that checks reality at the door and doesn't so much put balls to the wall as push them all the way through, creating a glory hole of badassery. Clive Owen's nameless hero throws an orphaned baby over his shoulder and just goes to town on everything in his way, going through action sequences in the same way as stage actors go through numbers in a Broadway musical, and the audience acted appropriately, spontaneously applauding after each segment, which I've never seen happen before. But the key element to SHOOT 'EM UP, the part that makes it one of my absolute favorite recent films, is the way writer/director Michael Davis colors the movie in with ridiculously clever dialogue, fantastic cinematography, and an endless barrage of unique and well-developed characters, fronted by a pair of performances by Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti that are really too much fun for words. It may even be my favorite Giamatti performance yet, and definitely one of my all-time favorite movie villains. He and Owen play off each other within the confines of a hilarious Looney Tunes motif, literally like a Bugs and Elmer cartoon written by Shane Black. If it was just a big fast action movie, it would just be an entertaining and mindless diversion, but it's really pushed into a new level with its confident sense of style and its expertly flourished details, as well as its light, un-preachy political metaphors. The music and effects weren't quite perfect yet, because it's still an early cut, but once it comes together, I'll be really surprised if it doesn't find both box office success and serious love from the film geek crowd. With movies like THE INCREDIBLES and SNAKES ON A PLANE, it's clear that the studios are specifically tailoring films to the needs of the Ain't it Cool audience, and this is one of the best examples. It's as batshit as batshit can be, and easily the funniest action film since Bruce Willis in his heyday. It's also the first movie in a while where if I had the power, I'd tell the projector to string it up again and rewatch the whole thing right away. It is a damn good time.

SEE THE TRAILER & SOME NIFTY (YEAH, I SAID "NIFTY") PITCH CLIPS HERE!!!