American Gun

"American Gun" is all about an elderly man (Coburn) who goes in search of the owner of the handgun used to kill his daughter. A nominal film in most respects, "American Gun" uses a lame ploy to whet interest by excising important scenes from the front end of an ordinary linear story and then pasting them on the tail end so as to create mystery where none exists while providing a reward for sitting though the uneventful bulk of the film. The result is a disappointing par flick which has little more to offer than a modicum of entertainment and a last look at James Coburn. Reminiscent of "All the Rage". (C+)

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.

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.

`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?