American Gun

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?

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.

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.

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.