Guns Akimbo Movie Review
Nathan Swank
May 25th, 2020
Bullets, blood and bad words, GUNS AKIMBO is a wildly fun and funny shoot ‘em up satire aiming its sights on our culture’s love for violence.
Stuck in a dead-end job, Miles (Daniel Radcliffe) stares at his phone all day through his commute to work where he is a programmer for a squirrely kids app that tricks consumers into spending more money. A sad lonely man, Miles gets zero respect and pines for his ex-girlfriend. However, his life is about to change. You see, Miles is king in one area and that is behind the keyboard trolling trolls. In this not so distant future, an underground, highly rated online show pits criminals against one another in a deadly competition. The gang behind this killer game show is called Skizm led by the tattooed covered baddie, Riktor (Mark Rowley). Skizm has not taken too kindly to Miles trolling their fans or their illegal organization. Not realizing just how powerful Skizm is, Miles finds himself with guns bolted to his hands as the next contestant who must quickly adapt to a kill or be killed mentality if he wants to survive.
Writer and director Jason Lei Howden along with the actors are clearly having a blast with the material. And why not? The premise is sci-fi fun with a thoroughly entertaining premise through creative and hilarious editing and action. Howden has worked in the visual effects department on many big blockbusters like AVENGERS, WOLVERINE, MAN OF STEEL, and WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. GUNS AKIMBO is a feast of entertainment that will definitely catapult Howden into bigger projects.
The opponent that Miles must face is the super cool and unstoppable Nix played by super cool Samara Weaving (READY OR NOT). Clearly a bit insane with her care-free attitude and her masterful use of weaponry, Nix appears as though she should be related to Harley Quinn. She even looks like Margot Robbie. And I’m not knocking the similarities as I thought it was perfect for the satire vibe of the film.
Giving one hundred percent at full throttle, Daniel Radcliffe is a force to be reckoned within the playful art of bumbling, scared good guy theater. I continue to grow as a fan, watching him not only choose strange projects, but also fully committing, regardless how silly they might be. GUNS AKIMBO has fire power and everyone involved should be very proud.
GUNS AKIMBO leans into the gun-hand gag, with many of the highlight’s revolving around Miles trying to use his newly acquired peace-making palms for simple tasks like using his phone, putting on pants, or opening a door.
Sometimes it’s frustrating when a movie improperly glorifies the very thing it is protesting. I do not believe GUNS AKIMBO is protesting violence, but rather the thought of accepting violence anywhere outside of make-believe or in other words, the movies. The film clearly loves and appreciates the genre but has the good sense of saying any outward expression of this joy in violence in real life is ridiculous.
GUNS AKIMBO is over-the-top violence, but it is also inventive and downright silly. It’s hard not to smile at the film’s intentions, which is 98 minutes of outright playful absurdity.
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