shoot em up be the type of film that under normal circumstance and i wouldn not give the time of day . it a brainless and action saturate spectacle and fill with wall to wall shooting and over the top action sequence not often see outside of a quentin tarantino picture . but the fact it star clive owen and paul giamatti and two of the world most underrated actor be enough to convince me to check out the film when it be release to dvd . and thanks to the star power of these two and and the imaginative and impressively mounted direction from michael davis and shoot em up emerges a quite a delight . it move like an olympic runner on acid and it have a surprising sense of humour and and although it never once take itself seriously and the film achieve a remarkable consistency and dignity thanks to the sheer enthusiasm of everybody present . shoot em up be the type of film that be as much fun for the filmmaker a it be for an audience . ever since clive owen ascend to the a list of hollywood lead men ( something that take far too long in my opinion ) and he have often be pip a the next actor to inherit the ongoing role of james bond . now of course with daniel craig sure to fill those shoe for a fair old bit and it doesn not seem very likely now that owen will ever assume the role he be bear to play . but with shoot em up and we get a bit of an idea of what he might have be like in the role . shoot em up do seem a concerted effort to be a deliberate spoof on james bond . large than life villain . beautiful woman . over the top stunt . and at the centre of it all . a rugged clive owen . the opening scene set the jokey tone perfectly . the film open with a closeup of clive owen face . hard . tough . someone you do not mess with . and then without skip a beat and he begin munch on a carrot . the camera pull back to reveal clive sit on a bench and wait for the next bus . sip coffee . that he stir with his carrot . it very funny . i find myself laugh at the casual absurdity of it all . but before long and the action kick into overdrive when a pregnant woman walking by be be pursue by a hit man . clive and know only a mr smith and decides to get involve . what follow be a blood soak and five minute action sequence that involve smith deliver her baby while in the middle of a bloody shootout . it almost seem a direct parody of the previous year child of men and when clive owen have to deliver a baby under similar circumstance . he even shoot off the umbilical cord . and that just the beginning . what follow be a steady escalation of shootout and burnouts and grossouts a smith and and a hooker along for the ride must protect this baby from the dastardly hertz ( giamatti ) . i be not exactly sure why i have such affection for shoot em up . maybe it because i be such a huge fan of clive owen . the sheer peppy energy the production crew put into it . or maybe it the way it blatantly disregard the rule of the game and dare you to laugh along with the action . it gleefully irreverent and and all the good for it . because the film clock in at a neat 85 minute and you do not get wear down by the kinesis of the action . it just glide by from one rev up action scene to the next . but it never take it tongue out of it cheek . there always tiny amusement to be find throughout . i like the different us smith put his carrot to . they even become deadly weapon in his hand . smith the action man version of bug bunny . but if clive owen be bug and then paul giamatti be elmer fudd . hertz be not exactly a stretch for an actor of giamatti talent and but he doesn not coast by . in fact he look like he have more fun than owen . he chew on the scenery with glorious reckless abandon . he get plenty of pithy one liner and and never shy away from deliver them and no matter how hammy they might sound representis he really this good or do we just really suck . clive owen have always be one of my favourite actor and while mr smith doesn not match up to some of his best performance and child of men theo and chancer stephen crane and etc and he still launch into the role with his trademark professionalism . smith may be a hard man but he get a fine line in droll observation . like how irked he get when people do not indicate before change lane on the highway . and he not above ram into them with his car to prove his point . i also love the scene when he chastise a mother for smack her kid . literally . the action scene do not disappoint either . ok i never believe what i be see . but i really enjoy the imagination ( and sheer audacity ) of the filmmaker . and if you have ever want to see a gunfight while in midair and you can in shoot em up . while watch the film and it probably not a good idea to think about such trivial thing a plot . there something about bone marrow transplant and corrupt senator and gun control lobbying . ok the plot as thick a five short plank . but when a film be this much fun and who care how brainless it be . shoot em up be the perfect film for a friday night in . my advice would be to watch it with some friend and have a few beer and get really slosh while youre at it . you will have a hell of a great time . don not miss the end credit either . it the perfect lampoon of a bond film intro scene . only without the annoy theme song .