The Gun

I recall seeing this made-for-TV movie around 1974 when it was released and being very impressed by the cold, docudrama approach used. From what I remember, it is a powerful statement against the over-prevalence of gun use, without being preachy. From what I have read in reviews so far of the just-released Nicholas Cage film, Lord of War, the opening sequence of the Cage movie (which visually traces the history of a bullet from manufacture in the U.S. to its use executing a person in Africa) seems to have been inspired by the story technique used in The Gun from beginning to end. It's sometimes a little surprising what certain directors did earlier in their careers. I would not have associated John Badham with this movie.

This was one of the many made-for-TV movies that was startling effective, in spite of limited budget and short production time. It gets its point across only too well, with expert direction by John Badham. He utilizes a number of odd point-of-view shots, and a cast of mostly unknown actors to provide the human interest essential to this story. The story's construction is a series of vignettes related by only one thread, the presence of the same gun in each case.

The main character is not a person, but as titled, a gun. It passes from hand to hand several times, commencing with its initial sale. As it changes hands in a variety of ways, each new possessor has a different agenda. The weapon itself is utilized in a variety of ways, often in manners that bring about woeful circumstances. The final tragic outcome of the last handler of the gun is rendered in a frightful image, which will stick with you long after seeing the movie. The commentary is clear and effective. A fine movie.

I own a few guns, so you would think I might not be a fan of "The Gun" because it has a message that seems to be anti-gun. Michael Karol in "The ABC Movie of the Week Companion" said that "the NRA wouldn't like this movie"...well, maybe. I took the message to be NOT guns are evil but stupid people should never, ever own a gun...and the many folks who come to possess this gun are a real smorgasbord of stupidity!! First, you have people who buy a gun but aren't trained and are afraid of it. Selling it back to a store wasn't a bad idea...but then the gun is illegally sold to a maniac and the gun gets passes on and on...even in one case a total idiot throws it and the bullets into a dumpster to get rid of it!!! Crazy.

I didn't find the film unfair or preachy and it was well acted and constructed. Plus, several times people COULD have been killed but time and time again something intervened..at least in most cases. Fair and worth seeing....just understand if you get easily offended by things that seem anti-gun OR you want the film to be very clear and intense in its condemning of guns, you will be sorely disappointed.

I merely wanted to add that this particular TV movie belongs to the MIA (missing in action) list. It was one of the many early features that was done for the ABC network's 'Movie of the Week' programming segment. I only saw it once, but the central theme stuck in my memory even though I had long forgotten the names and/or faces of the actors who starred in it. I felt the movie made a powerful anti-gun statement without being too preachy or over-the-top. Regardless of how one might feel about the issue of gun control, this television movie was well-done! It's a cliché, but they truly don't make movies like that anymore. Too bad that a lot of these features, especially from the ABC network, have been lost or misplaced.

The central character in this movie is a gun; the story deals with the various characters who possess it, and the bad ends they come to. I haven't seen it for almost 30 years, so I can't write a proper review; but it sticks out in my mind as a TV-movie of the better sort, i.e. where the low budget and tight schedule encourage innovation that might not be acceptable on a big-budget movie needing to offer a safe return on its investment.