Ticket? Check. Popcorn? Check. Soda? Check. Brain at home? Check.<br /><br />Shoot Em' Up may look like an insane movie full of action and lack of remorse towards the squeamishthat's pretty much because it is a movie full of action and lack of remorse towards the squeamish. This gritty fast-paced gun show from the get go starts firing action on all cylinders, and will not give you a moment to hesitate until the credits start rolling. Resembling more like Desperado rather than a Frank Miller graphic novel (marketing was gearing in that direction), Shoot em' Up is one of the most insane flicks in recent years. It would have been the craziest movie of the year if it had not been for the fact that Tarantino and Rodriguez joined their unique talents to craft their underrated masterpiece Grindhouse. You are watching this movie for action and no other reason; Shoot em' Up delivers exactly that. <br /><br />The movie starts off with an obviously disgruntled man sitting by himself in a tough part of town. A pregnant woman is running for her life from a hit-man who has only one intention and it is not to get her number. Five minutes and a crazy gun battle later, this lonely man (Mr. Smith, played by Clive Owen) is protecting a baby that is the target of a group of ruthless assassins headed by the deranged and merciless Hertz (Paul Giamatti). While plot is never a heavy issue with mindless action movies, this one throws a bit of cruel irony by throwing in a bit of gun control and political commentary. To add to that it's a bit of a satire. So, in other words, Shoot em' Up is a satirical mindless comic book-like action movie with a heavy dosage of social commentary. It's a real doozy just thinking about it. <br /><br />While the trend of delivering over-the-top substance with every passing minute is reaching its stride in adult action movies nowadays, they don't quite reach what Shoot em' Up managed to reach. The difference is, the cast behind the film are totally aware of how ridiculously unbelievable Shoot em' Up is. We have a child born because of a bullet, we have a gun battle midair, and then they even managed to make carrots the most dangerous vegetable in the history of modern film-making. To top it all off, a handgun was used----a hand by a character became a gun. Few movies used more bullets than this nail biter. However, it's not as mind-numbingly violent as recent over-the-top movies like Grindhouse, Kill Bill, Sin City, etc. <br /><br />Clive Owen has this bitterly heroic persona that resembles a bit like his character in Sin City. While he may be the most dangerous man around, he's not exactly the easiest person to talk to. His dialogue is limited to grudges and clever (but sometimes painful) one-liners. Either way, there's some sort of unique charisma that surrounds him, and it gets the attention of the leading lady in the film (the lovely Donna played by Monica Bellucci) The best performance by far is that of Paul Giamatti, who should definitely take more villain roles. He plays Hertz with plenty of glee and energy, and creeps you out and angers you just as much as the typical Hollywood villain. <br /><br />It is all about the action, and the writer/director Michael Davis is full aware of this. His resume so far isn't exactly a glorious one, but he should be getting some attention with this movie. Davis does an excellent job keeping the tension and suspense high, while keeping the action not too close to the viewer, but not too far away either. He handles the special and visual effects very well, as the only sequence that requires a lot of effects is directed and run-through so quickly you don't have time to criticize and laugh at the effects (especially after seeing Transformers and At World's End). The commentary might be a turn-off to some, but it's a quirky twist to the genre that usually frays from such blasphemous content. <br /><br />Bottom Line: Shut off your brain before entering this movie, and you will have one hell of a time. The main problem of Shoot em' Up is that it had to follow after similar yet amazing powerhouse action flicks like Kill Bill, Sin City, and Grindhouse. On the other hand, removing all comparisons, this movie is worth the money, as long as you are full aware that this movie is not going to shoot for an Academy Award (pun intended). Decent performances, decent plot is all overshadowed by the hyper-frenzied amount of action, guns, and gritty sinister moments that you just don't see enough of in movies nowadays to preserve the profit-earning PG-13 rating. Holding no punches, Shoot em' Up is an endless shower of bullets that cascades all over the screen, usually followed by body parts, blood, and smiles across the faces of the audience. You know this film is going to be crazy yet delicious when you see a steamy sex scene and a violent shoot out at the exact same time.