Gun Shy

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.

Antonio Banderas, Olga Kurylenko and Mark Valley play in this movie based on a book. It is supposed to be a comedy with some social commentary, only it is not funny and most of the time it is offensive to every group it depicts. Antonio Banderas does well, but the role is so much beneath him that I wonder how this movie was even made. And who writes books that are this bad?! Bottom line: I skipped large portions of it and it was still boring. The jokes were lame, the acting stupid, the story horrendous. This film has nothing redeeming about it, except maybe Olga's cuteness, even it not being enough to save this piece of crap.

Reading the summary and seeing the reviews, I didn't think this movie would be great. I checked it out simply because Antonio Banderas has done some really great work in the past. I understand that his movies aren't all outstanding but I figured he could carry it if he had to... I was mistaken. This movie was just plain bad. From the plot being laughably thin, the acting completely lacking, the ridiculous stereotypes and last (but certainly not least) the awful singing from Banderas, this movie was just one long cringe. I am not usually this harsh on most of my reviews but this one definitely deserves the rating I gave it.

"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

Even Banderas couldn't save this attempt at making a movie. Best you wait for it to air on TV or better still, give it a complete pass. There's not a single likable or hateable enough character...it's all so very awful at being very awful, it's like it was made by a group of drug addicts trying hard very hard to afford their next supply. I don't wanna bore anyone by trying to try explain what this motion picture is, in case I get blamed for ruining people's breakfast...lol

How can an actor go from playing parts like Desperado, Zorro to this stupid nonsense movie!? The "Aussie" is portrayed as crude, rude! AN insult to Australians! We must look real bad to the rest of the cinema world for some reason! The poster itself is misleading! Gun Shy? Who? Antonio held nothing but beer cans throughout the movie! Action Comedy? I expected a lot more. I have seen action comedy movies before which were really entertaining, not this one! I will be generous and give it a 3.