American Gun

At first I thought this film was going to be about finding a killer and blaming guns and the lack of laws we have in the United States controlling them. I was wrong. This is a story of relationships, and what it takes to keep them. The writing is sensitive, not safe by any means and gets to the heart of every human. I was touched by the candid view points of the characters and how the camera and direction noticed them. This is a strong story, not too simple and very complex but very real and grass rooted. The bottom line is...I can see this happening to anyone...anywhere and I was thrilled that it made me feel this way. I thought all the performances were believable and brilliantly acted. Even though Mr. Coburn isn't on this earth to receive one, he should be nominated for an Oscar.

James Coburn is an actor who has proven his worth by his

longivity. I have admired his work since I was a kid. My admiration

continues. He was awesome in Affliction and no less awesome in

American Gun. This story is very inventive in its telling. It utilizes the device of

flashback better than any film in recent memory. It has also,

through its multiple story line, enabled to include in its cast a

variety of minoroty actors and strong female roles. The issues that

are tackled are well examined. War, male rites of passage,

father/daughter, parent/child relationships, faith and forgiveness to

name a few. And it manages to not give away its ending. I highly

reccomend this film.

some people on this messageboard seemed to enjoy this movie, though i can't imagine why.

it's hardly cinematic; it tells its story in a very heavy-handed fashion. i couldn't believe my eyes at the sight of the first scenes that had dialog; not only were the lines really corny, but throughout the scene, each of the two actors (james coburn and virginia madsen) got a close up while delivering his line! even for utterances as negligible as "okay"! i didn't think such disregard for storytelling technique is even possible anymore, but there it is.

the movie did get a little better as it went along, thankfully, and delivered various flashbacks detailing coburn's history (on film) and the gun's owners' (on video) to liven things up a little. but the movie doesn't know how to deliver any insight into american gun culture. coburn's voice-over is comprised of his embarassing letters to his dead daughter(!). finally, a surprise ending negates most of the movie and leaves you with close to nothing.

as for coburn's performance... you won't hear me say a bad word about him, but i just can't praise his performance in "american gun". i assume his oscar for "affliction" was well-deserved (i haven't seen the film), but i don't see any awards (or nominations) for this one.

the storytelling style can best be described as "naïve", and that's the kind of movie-goer you have to be to enjoy the movie.

I saw this film at the Sonoma Film Festival earlier this year and was pleasantly surprised. It was not what I was expecting.

James Coburn gave a tremendous performance and all the other actors were very good as well.

I was able to buy into what the film was selling, but I was not expecting the twist at the end. About ten minutes before the twist was revealed, I starting thinking this was the direction they were headed. I just sat there thinking "No, that can't be where they are taking this." It was difficult to see the ending and I felt disturbed by the movie for a while afterwards.

I recommended it to friends and think it is well worth seeing.

`American Gun' offers several levels of reward to its audiences. First, is a Oscar caliber, powerfully moving performance from one of America's finest actors, James Coburn. It is rare in our system that an actor, even of James's stature, at his age is offered the opportunity to strut his stuff; and strut he does. With pain, wisdom, and gentleness expressed both in his face and in his gnarled hands, his performance is great. I guarantee no one will walk out of this film unchanged and unmoved by this alone. `American Gun' is a film about America and its scope is huge. On one level it deals with a subjects that are all but taboo in the mainstream media, i.e. American's contradictory infatuation with guns and violence and the all too real repercussions they have with our individual and collective lives. On another level it examines the ethical context of violence in religion, in warfare, in the streets, in the cause of justice as well as in the pursuit of evil. It sounds deep, but you will be entertained by this film, but you will also walk of the theater thinking about some fundamental issues. That's not bad is it?