Under the Gun

I rented this movie mostly for Richard Norton, and several other of the better-known Australian martial artists with whom I am familiar appear alongside him in the movie.

It's shockingly acted - let's face it, Richard Norton may be a good martial artist, but a great actor he is not. The plot was secondary to the fight scenes, as it really should be in a movie that's really just a vehicle for some spectacular action sequences.

Kathy Long redeems what would otherwise just be another film packed with guys beating the crap out of each other for 90 minutes.

The fight scene with Norton vs Sam Greco is worth a look, but this film will probably only appeal to die hard MA fans and even then, will really only appeal to Australians for novelty value.

I must admit, though I saw a small number of Norton's films, but I heard that most of them are the same, but this one... well It's something different. First of all, Norton is a great martial artist, but here he does some good acting as well. The story is very interesting. Norton is a former football player that holds a nightclub (and, of course he happens to know martial arts), the key story of the plot that Norton's character Frank Torrence must endure through one night against the mobsters, the police, a few hit mans, street thugs and the most dangerous thing on the end - his wife. The fights and the action is quite solid, acting is funny, though OK, and everything is shown through a fine comedy and fun. It's a mixture of action and comedy. Watch it.

I like Richard Norton. I've seen several of his movies; he's a decent enough actor, and his skills as a martial artist, stunt performer, and stunt coordinator are noteworthy. It was his involvement, specifically, that brought this title to my attention. Actors are constrained by the quality of the material they're given, however, and the quality of the direction, and to be very frank 'Under the gun' leaves a lot to be desired. I can appreciate that this was accordingly Matthew George's first film, made when he was quite young, and he demonstrates basic competence as both writer and director. "Basic competence" only gets one so far, however, and the sad fact of the matter is that this a bumpy ride that plainly shows George's inexperience in the medium. It's passably enjoyable, yet pardon me if I can't muster especial enthusiasm.

The stunts and fight sequences are unquestionably the chief highlight, a credit to Norton as choreographer and stuntman, and to everyone else who plays along; the practical effects are well done. This is an action flick first and foremost, and while at times it seems like we don't get as much as we'd hope, the dispensation is worth it when all is said and done. Working with what they had, the cast give suitable performances (if certainly nothing revelatory), and the sets are admirable, if modest. Rough as the proceedings are, there are still plenty of good ideas all throughout these ninety minutes: bad luck, desperation, corruption, multiple parties all gunning after the same interests, betrayal, and every proverbial chicken coming home to roost for a former ice hockey champion turned night club owner (what?), who of course is also a very skilled fighter because Richard Norton. It's a hodgepodge, but it's reasonably well done, and some moments are extra smart. The latter goes chiefly for the action, but even in his directorial debut, George deserves some high marks, too, including an extra raucous and violent climax that is surprisingly solid.

All that is the good news. The bad news is that in some important ways the picture is sorely uneven. Too much of this seems to have been conjured with the melodramatic sensibilities of a daytime soap opera, including and not limited to terrible, on the nose dialogue dialogue and cringe-worthy one-liners; milquetoast music, and weird tonal shifts including attempted infusion of romance and emotional beats; and instances of overacting, meager production values and bare-faced cinematography (it even looks like daytime television), and less robust direction, all of which sometimes pointedly betray the inauthenticity of the production. I said there were some good ideas here, and I meant it, but there are too many ideas, and the surfeit adds to the melodrama and the inauthenticity, and somewhat weakens the fun of the action sequences. Then there are moments so overblown as to be almost parodical, such as a garbled scene right around the halfway mark where multiple characters are coming into conflict and yelling unintelligibly, and it seems like George had just given up on trying to bring cinematic order; any time we see one particular faction rush gung-ho into the nightclub, the execution would need no alteration to fit right in with a Monty Python sketch.

I don't think the feature is bad. Part of me wonders if I'm not being too harsh; it's not as if this pretends to be anything it's not. It has real strengths. It also has real flaws, however, and no matter how magnanimous one is inclined to be, those flaws weigh heavily against the sum total. I did have a good time watching, and all the while there were also points where I was all but flummoxed by the choices that were made here. If you're looking for a fair action title, something to sate your cravings without requiring or inspiring major engagement, then this is worth checking out on a quiet day. However, even if you're a diehard fan of Norton or someone else involved, 'Under the gun' falls well short of demanding viewership, and I recommend approaching with keen awareness that the movie is not the cream of the crop.

'Under the Gun' is one of those movies which can be hit or miss. It's not really martial arts movie, It's actually much more than that. Norton's character is running the night club which he wants to sell and get away with his wife but obviously one last night in the club turns out to be the worst night of his life. I have to say that I was impressed with Richard Norton's performance. This is the first time I have seen him doing real and I mean REAL acting. Usually his movies are packed with top notch martial arts but not acting. Aside from Norton, we have Kathy Long who's top billed but appears on screen for a few minutes only but she does have a two very nice fights. All other actors are pretty much unknown and rather weak(especially one eyed policeman) but it doesn't affect the movie. There are not many fights but those we have look very good, especially Kathy Long ones( 'cause they are very dynamic). Besides the fact It's much more of a thriller than an action film, It's very fast paced. Definitely worth to see, just to realize that Richard Norton is pretty good actor.

I still can't believe this an Australian film. From looking at the box and the surroundings it looked like another low-budget american actioner, until I checked the credits where I was informed that this was filmed in Melbourne, Australia. Considering the above, I'd say this movie is watchable and certainly entertaining. The plot flows along smoothly from one situation to the next. All the while we watch as the night unfolds through the main character, Frank Torrance, played excellently by Richard Norton. The other side of this movie are the martial arts action sequences, which are excellentely choreographed and filmed in all their brutal bloody glory. There are no fancy jumps or flips in this movie, just plain, raw, martial arts combat. Very entertaining and sometimes funny. 9/10