Guns Akimbo — Movie Review
by KJ Proulx
From The F Word to Swiss Army Man, Daniel Radcliffe has really been stretching himself in terms of acting since his Harry Potter days. I thoroughly enjoy it when an actor using their talent to explore, rather than milk their fame. Personally, I find it very admirable that Radcliffe isn’t just looking for the next blockbuster to be a part of. I’m sure if one ever presents itself to him he’ll take it, but if Guns Akimbo is any indication of his future, it may be a little hit or miss. Although there are many things to like about this movie, here’s why it might not be worth your time, especially if you don’t like strange concepts.
Guns Akimbo follows Miles, an internet troll who is hunted down by an organization/game called Skizm. Knocked out, they perform some work on his hands and he wakes up with both of them bolted to guns. Not being able to remove them or even get himself dressed for that matter, he finds himself on the run for his life. This concept seemed very fun to me and the film itself definitely has a lot of fun elements, but it’s a little too stylized and frenetic to really latch onto. What kept this film so enjoyable, however, was a very committed performance by Daniel Radcliffe.
Radcliffe puts himself into the shoes of a loner who has nothing better to do than making fun of people on the internet. His transformation that has him changing as a person emotionally, while becoming a crazy action hero physically was a blast to watch. That said, Ned Dennehy as Riktor, the core villain behind this organization, was way too over-the-top to really feel any sense of fear towards him. By the time the climax of this film arrives, I felt no sympathy for him or even a sense of why he was doing any of this. The third act is also a little too action-heavy in comparison with the rest of the movie.
Written and directed by Jason Lei Howden, it’s very clear that he wanted this movie to feel unique and stand out. Having worked as a visual effects artist on films like The Avengers, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, and War for the Planet of the Apes, his effects work seemed to be flowing through his mind while he was directing. Even down to the editing, this movie moves a little too fast and characters are in many locations far too often. He has worked on many more movies than what I listed, but I chose to mention Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, not to compare the quality of the movies, but how crazy it is as a film itself. When Radcliffe is up and moving, the movie is moving twice as fast as he is, which just felt incredibly jarring.
In the end, Guns Akimbo has a pretty cool premise and some very well-done action scenes, along with a likeable performance by Radcliffe from beginning to end. I would say I liked this movie much more than I disliked it, but the frenetic energy just threw me out of the movie on multiple occasions. Still, I commend them for sticking to that and not swaying in and out of it throughout the entire duration. It was consistent, which was impressive, even if it was slightly annoying to me. I had a good time watching Guns Akimbo, but it’s not for everyone and I probably won’t choose to revisit it anytime soon.
Rating: 3/5
Check out the trailer below:
