So, if you were to take an action star like Clive Owen, put him in a movie with onscreen hottie Monica Bellucci (possibly the best thing about the Matrix sequels), the logical third leg of the stool would of course be Paul Giamatti, who did so much for Pinot Noir in 2004.

The movie is "Shoot 'Em Up", in theaters now.


If you like silly - dare I say "cartoony" - violence, this is a treat for you. Clive Owen's character is a genius with firearms, and the movie is almost non-stop choreographed gunplay. And I'll go back and hit those two words again - cartoony gunplay, and if I say it with affection, that's a pretty compact synopsis of the movie. There's a literal level where the movie references cartoons - Owen's character has an inexplicable affection for carrots, but by the end of the movie, you'll probably think twice about the raw vegetable. The literal references to cartoons probably is a bit of self-parody, saying they know how absurdly contrived the action is, but ain't it fun?

And it is fun. Sure, you have to be desensitized to violence (stop squirming, you're ruining my shot!), but I'm probably not the only one who can watch senseless carnage and still laugh at funny bits.