Guns Akimbo (2019)

Directed by: Jason Lei Howden | 95 minutes | action, comedy | Actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Samara Weaving, Rhys Darby, Ned Dennehy, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Mark Rowley, Grant Bowler, Hanako Footman, Josh Robert Thompson, Set Sjöstrand, Milo Cawthorne, Edwin Wright, Jacqueline Lee Geurts, Colin Moy, Racheal Ofori, Jack Riddiford, Bella Padden, Aaron Jackson, Richard Knowles

The plot is well known. In the not too distant future, entertainment agency Skizm organizes deadly fights between two participants. Skizm’s boss is a tattooed psychopath surrounded by a gang of violent half-wits. The battles take place in an unnamed American city, with millions of internet visitors experiencing the action. Cameras and drones track the heavily armed players, so visitors can enjoy every kill.

It is in this setting that the action comedy ‘Guns Akimbo’ takes place. We meet the most successful player, one Nix, and we get to know the young computer technician Miles. In his spare time, Miles follows the fights on the internet, making toxic commentary on fellow viewers and creators. That’s not so smart. One day, Miles is ambushed by Skizm’s gang and beaten ko. When he wakes up not only does his head hurt but his hands also feel a bit strange. Worst of all, in order to stay alive, he must battle the killing machine Nix.

It produces a smooth film that is full of clumsy action. No sooner is one shooting over than another begins. The blood is splattering in all directions and a body count is pointless. We experience all this with Miles’ voiceover. It’s full of dry self-mockery, a bit in the spirit of ‘Deadpool’. Just like in ‘Deadpool’, ‘Guns Akimbo’ stretches the boundaries of the genre and irony is never far away. That humor immediately makes the cartoonish blunt violence more palatable.

As nice as ‘Guns Akimbo’ is, we are not going to discover a topper in it. The humor is often bland and the line between entertaining action and awkward sadism is sometimes crossed. The story itself is smooth but predictable. Moreover, the film’s message that viewers of gross violence are partly to blame for that violence is a bit cheap and in this case also inappropriate.

If you want to see how to package this message, we refer to the very first episode of ‘Black Mirror’. If you want to discover how you can stretch a genre just a little smarter, we refer to the Deadpool films. But for your weekly portion of cheerfully rude entertainment you can go to ‘Guns Akimbo’.