This is a fairly animated drama about a man who researches the gun that killed his daughter, looking for answers through that path.
The movie is a lot of things. It certainly has style, I think one must admit. It continually goes off into new directions.
We get many flashbacks to the greatest generation years during World War II, where the father is a young man who is a very believable young soldier. He finds killing hard, and guns take getting used to.
There is a huge sense of realism in this story. Even though we don't have the specific experiences and backdrops that the father, played by James Coburn, experiences, we somehow feel them. We are drawn into the home and decor of this family, and adopted.
Thereis some smart directing, and some smart writing.
However, this is "hit and run, hit and miss". There are just as many fanciful stretches in this story, too, seemingly to make a point.
It isn't exactly "preachy", but the history of the gun does seem to have a Hollywood story to it. Never once does it just wound anyone. It manages to kill a number of people through different owners.
That part just didn't fit in with the "realism" feel of the story, and of the family.
As for the "hit and run" turning into "hit and miss", we feel like the writer is congratulating himself on keeping us off balance. It becomes less of a story we are in, and more of a story we know someone is telling. We lose the natural flow, because we are so conscious he is always trying to throw us for a loop.
However, I realize some people probably like that. I felt the writer did this too much to keep a natural look about the story.
