- Film Review
- Reviewed By Jamie Russell
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3 out of 5
Hollywood has often plagiarised John Woo's highly stylised gunfight choreography, but this audacious effort may be the first film to try and teach the master some new tricks. Inspired by Woo's Hard-Boiled - in particular its climactic maternity-ward shoot-out - writer/director Michael Davis's gun-obsessed thriller opens with a pregnant woman giving birth during a firefight and never lets up. Clive Owen heads the cast as mysterious, carrot-munching hero Smith, who's roped into saving the newborn child from an army of assassins, led by Paul Giamatti's preening bad guy. Cartoonish dialogue and ugly production values detract from the film's ballistic set pieces, all choreographed with chutzpah: a skydiving gun battle; a sex scene during a shoot-out; and an ingenious moment as Smith becomes a marksman puppeteer, slaying dozens of bad guys using guns on strings. It's fun but terminally adolescent, and unfortunately runs out of ideas long before it runs out of bullets.
Plot Summary
Action thriller starring Clive Owen, Monica Bellucci and Paul Giamatti. The simple task of waiting for a bus turns into a fight for survival for the enigmatic Mr Smith after he sees a pregnant woman pursued by gunmen. Pretty soon he finds himself delivering the baby and must then try to protect the infant from a ruthless and relentless hitman.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Smith
- Clive Owen
- Donna "DQ" Quintano
- Monica Bellucci
- Hertz
- Paul Giamatti
- Hammerson
- Stephen McHattie
- Lone man
- Greg Bryk
- Senator Rutledge
- Daniel Pilon
- Baby Oliver
- Sidney Mende-Gibson
- Baby Oliver
- Lucas Mende-Gibson
- Baby's mother
- Ramona Pringle
- Hertz's driver
- Julian Richings
Crew
- Director
- Michael Davis (3)
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