Guns Akimbo (Review)

Guns Akimbo Might Be a Shoot ‘Em Up, but Misses Some of Its Targets.

Let me start by saying that I absolutely love the name “Guns Akimbo.” It’s actually a pretty perfect title for the film because it captures the absurd bloodsoaked carnage that is the driving force behind it. That being said, there are times when the film relies a little too much on being as insane as possible. Now, there are a lot of movies that can make ludicrous ultra-violent balls-to-the-walls action work (Crank, The Raid: Redemption, etc), but Guns Akimbo feels like it’s throwing too much at the wall in the hopes that enough will stick to entertain the audience. Sure, there are some eccentric and terrifying characters, crazy graphics, and tons of mood lighting to make the gritty settings really pop. In fact, a lot of Guns Akimbo works, but even when it comes to balls-to-the-walls action movies, sometimes less is more.

Guns Akimbo takes place in a world where people are taking more and more pleasure from the suffering of others. So much so, that a criminal organization called Skizm has orchestrated online deathmatches between the worst criminals on the planet, broadcasting them live as the competitors’ wreck havoc across the city trying to kill each other. When keyboard warrior Miles (Daniel Radcliffe) takes it upon himself to “troll” the site, he finds himself thrown into a living nightmare when the monsters behind Skizm kick down his door and force him to fight against their best warrior, Nix (Samara Weaving). Before you suggest that Miles simply run away, I should mention that they surgically bolt guns to both of his hands (that’s right, BOLT). Now, Miles is running for his life from a cocaine-fueled, psychopathic killing savant while trying to outsmart an evil cyber empire, all without the use of his hands. Buckle up, because this is a wild ride.

There’s a lot to be said for how far Daniel Radcliffe has come since his Hary Potter days. He’s worked hard to distance himself for only being seen as the boy wizard and I’ve enjoyed a lot of his films since then (Horns, Jungle, Swiss Army Man). For me, his true strength lies in roles that feature an ordinary person thrown into unbelievable circumstances. The same goes for Samara Weaving, who has become one of my favorite actresses since her performances in movies like Ready or Not and Mayhem. She’s proven to be absolutely hilarious and knows just how to pull off a tough as nails character. The two of them are perfectly cast in the film and have some pretty intriguing chemistry in their scenes together, especially since Nix wants to kill Miles. While they are perfectly suited for their characters, I wish that writer/director Jason Lei Howden had gotten a little more creative with the dialogue between the two of them. Weaving especially starts to seem like a one-trick pony with her go-to insults and trash-talking. Nix could have been Harley Quinn meets Deadpool, but doesn’t quite make it and I can’t help feeling disappointed.

Visually, Guns Akimbo hits the nail on the head. It embraces the insanity of its premise and comes up with a lot of memorable elements to emphasize it’s “nihilistic neon’ vibe. While a lot of the “cannon fodder” in the film are cliche goons and thugs with leather jackets and cheap tattoos, the primary characters are all very vibrant. For example, Miles runs around in a bathrobe and monster slippers for the first half of the film, his ex-girlfriend (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) dies her hair “like a sunrise” which definitely make her stand out in a crowd, and the big bad Riktor (Ned Dennehy) has so many tattoos that his face looks like the cover of a high school metal heads notebook. Toss in the intense mood lighting filled with intense reds and blues, and it’s clear that Guns Akimbo is really leaning into its aesthetic. This works for the most part, especially when the film isn’t afraid to point out how overdramatic it’s being, such as the scene where Miles meets a friendly homeless crackhead with a few pearls of wisdom for him (Rhys Darby). 

The biggest fault with Guns Akimbo is that it’s all flash and no substance. While it’s a lot of eye candy, it hinges too much on a bizarre concept and crazy characters but doesn’t have anything going on below the surface. I get that it’s supposed to just be a fun thrill ride, but that’s not a legitimate excuse for how shallow it becomes. Essentially, Guns Akimbo is like a catchy song with awesome instrumentals but stupid lyrics. It’s easy to drown out the bad in it and only focus on the cool parts, but you know it’s never going to be one of the all-time greats. That doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy listening to it. But be aware that it’s a movie that’s more invested in what would be cool, rather than what would make it good. Basically, it lacks focus and follow-through, which might sound weird when talking about a chaotic action movie. However, if you watch Guns Akimbo, you’ll probably know exactly what I’m talking about.

Don’t let my criticism scare you off from checking out this movie. The cast is pretty great, especially Daniel Radcliffe and Samara Weaving. The concept is something that we’ve seen done before in films where evil internet cabals force unsuspecting people into games of life or death, but it slaps a unique enough element with the whole guns bolted to hands element to make it stand out. There’s a crazy neon 80s, “live fast, die young, and leave a burnt-out husk of a corpse” style to Guns Akimbo that hits hard when it works. With a little more polish and workshopping some of the story elements, this could have been a truly great movie. Instead, it’s just a pretty fun one. I’m comfortable with the idea that bad movies can still be awesome and enjoyable, and Guns Akimbo is exactly that.