Review: A gun in each hand (2012)

Director: Cesc Gay | 97 minutes | comedy, drama | Actors: Ricardo Darín, Luis Tosar, Javier Cámara, Eduardo Noriega, Leonor Watling, Candela Peña, Cayetana Guillén Cuervo, Eduard Fernández, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Jordi Mollà, Alberto San Juan, Clara Segura

In ‘A gun in each hand (2012)’ (‘A gun in each hand’) one person suffers from anxiety disorders, while the other lives with his mother at the age of 46. Without work, without a wife, of course with a cat. And these are just the first two men to star in ‘A gun in each hand (2012)’, because this feature consists of a series of short films, or a series of long scenes, just how you look at it. The films hardly become intertwined. Everything is related to each other because every fragment is about men with the same profile: men over forty, who for one reason or another are struggling with themselves.

They don’t have first names. S. tries to get his ex-wife back after two years of separation. The Argentinian G. has known for months that his wife is cheating on her, but has still not confronted her. P. makes an attempt to pick up a colleague. M. is married but sickly jealous. A. has erection problems that he does not dare to talk to anyone about. And L. has started a relationship with a woman who has it both ways.

They are pathetic and endearing at the same time. Men emotionally tangled, played by a top cast from Spanish and Argentinian cinema. They need a change, although they don’t seem to realize it yet. A gun in every hand, that’s what a Western hero like Clint Eastwood has. And that’s exactly what these guys are not: heroes. They are men who try to find their role in society, a society in which the relationships between men and women have changed. Because their wives, if they are not missing, are doing a lot better.

Contemporary themes are what makes this Spanish production so much fun. It is confronting and recognizable, amusing and emotional at the same time. The dialogues are strong and entertaining. The irony, subtle humor and the painful make ‘A gun in each hand (2012)o’ humorous. And while the viewer always thinks you know which way a scene is going, the fragments bring an unexpected twist time and time again. The ending, on the other hand, is quite predictable, but that’s okay. ‘A gun in each hand (2012)’ is not about the plot, but the themes, the combination of drama and comedy and the search for lost masculinity.