Guns Akimbo
Year: 2019
Rating: R
Length: 98 minutes / 1.63 hours
Perhaps you’ve seen the meme? Daniel Radcliffe is out in public in his boxers and a robe and gesticulating wildly with two pistols in his hands. That meme comes from this movie. Guns Akimbo (2019) is the kind of movie you think it is: ridiculous and gratuitous. Going in, I knew I couldn’t take this film seriously, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I was expecting something along the lines of Shoot ’em Up (2006) and got what I wanted out of it.
Sure, the premise is flimsy, and the characters are one-dimensional, but I came to have fun, and I certainly laughed quite a few times during this movie’s short runtime. I think if this film took itself more seriously, it wouldn’t have been the fun popcorn flick it turned out to be. That being said, I can appreciate how it is self-aware enough to recognize some of the challenges of having two guns bolted to your hands, let alone occasionally mentioning how it’s probably a serious medical problem that would need immediate hospitalization to solve.
What gets me is how Guns Akimbo could actually be something really great if it took a little effort and ditched the comedy. The moments before the credits roll gave a glimpse of a plot that would be interesting as a serious sequel. Even some of the subplots between the minor characters had some heft to them and almost seemed to be included to ground this film in the action genre before it would go off the rails with an insane set-piece moments later. Of course, this premise is so ridiculous that there’s no way it could be made without the self-aware comedy that runs throughout.
Ridiculous, violent fun, I give Guns Akimbo 3.0 stars out of 5.
