Gun Shy

A note of caution to anyone who sees the DVD or Blu-ray front cover art and title of this movie, and subsequently thinks they will be getting an action-packed exercise; this is NOT an action movie! The movie instead is, of all things, a wacky comedy. I sort of was prepared for that thanks to the somewhat absurd-sounding plot description on the back of the Blu-ray case, but while I had some preparation, I was all the same disappointed by what I watched. To be fair, the movie gives Antonio Banderas the rare chance to act silly, and his enthusiastic performance is at time infectious. Also, I admit there were a few times when I giggled or even laughed out loud. But the movie as a whole does not work. The main problem is that apart from Banderas, the energy level is often extremely low, and as a result it's hard for any comic sparks to be ignited. Though I feel I should point out that much of the humor is somewhat lazy, familiar, and predictable in nature. The wacky premise should have inspired more and stronger attempts at humor than we actually got. And the plot more often than not moves at a very slow and sluggish pace; you'll soon be telling the movie to simply get on with it. It doesn't help that despite filming on location in Chile, the low budget of the entire enterprise is extremely evident. Despite a few good things to be found, this is one movie you're probably best shying away from.

I hadn't even heard of this movie prior to coming to find it by sheer random luck. Well, that might be because I hardly keep up with the movies that Antonio Bandera makes. That being said, don't get me wrong, he does make the occasional good movie every now and again. So I decided to sit down and watch "Gun Shy".

And I am glad that I did, because this actually turned out to be a rather entertaining movie.

I will actually go as far as saying that this is one of the best movies that Antonio Bandera has made in a long time. It was really nice to see him in a movie such as this, because he seemed to fit into the character like a hand in a glove.

"Gun Shy" was driven by a good story and was filled with interesting characters. And they had a fairly good cast together here for bringing the various characters to life on the screen.

The movie definitely had an adequate amount of comedy and action, which made for a good cocktail.

"Gun Shy" is well-worth the time and effort. So if you haven't already seen it, do so if you get the chance.

"Gun Shy" has moments of absolute brilliance and others that are excruciatingly bad. I laughed frequently. I also felt it dragged at times and many of the jokes and gags fell flat. But it packs enough comedy that it's enjoyable despite the parts that felt they could have been much better. Much of it does feel as if the filmmakers threw material at the wall to see if it stuck.

The tone and style of humor are uneven. It tries to be raunchy at times, but also tries not to be too raunchy. An exchange between a diplomat and his local assistant is deftly executed. A fight scene involving a Taser is a riot. Some of the material regarding the sybaritic self-indulgent lifestyles of Rock & Roll stars is familiar and seems like it needed to be cranked up a few levels, but at other times Turk Enry's reflections seem almost cerebral. There are a few halfhearted efforts at political humor in the first act which largely fall flat. The tackiest gag involves a cheap swipe at President Trump.

Antonio Banderas's role seems incomplete. It should be what some writers call the idiot savant or the fool triumphant. The character is burned out, inept and insecure. He has heart and hasn't entirely lost his talent. But he doesn't really have a strong positive side. It's like Inspector Jacques Clouseau or Johnny English without the powers of deduction, the fearless dedication or indomitable spirit, all idiot without the savant. Banderas does an outstanding job with what he's given, but the character seems less than fully developed.

The film is hilarious at times, but frustrating in that it is not consistently amusing.

I don't understand some of the negative reviews about this movie, and it's low rating is unfair. Antonio's choices of movie projects can be a bit hit and miss, but Gun Shy was a pretty funny movie. Don't expect it to be the best comedy, or anything great in cinema, that is not what this movie is about. It's an easy going hour and half of inoffensive fun. Gun Shy and it's cast and crew are not going to win any Oscars for this, but everything was done well enough to give the viewer a pleasant experience. It's not a deep thinker, and as such does not need to be over critiqued.

At least a 7/10

Daytime comedy funny and enjoyable movie

Don't keep your hops up so you won't be disappointed that's what I did and surprisingly was more than what I expected there was several funny scenes that i liked it wasn't that bad of a movie especially since 2017 the movie industry was so bad but this one better than a lot of others in my opinion