OTT Auckland shoot-’em-up
Guns Akimbo (R16, 97 mins) Directed by Jason Lei Howden Reviewed by James Croot ★★★
Miles Lee Harris (Daniel Radcliffe) is having the worst day of his life. Admittedly, the Nut Bust 2 game developer contributed to his plight, by goading the wrong people. Miles, you see, when not flicking through the same three apps every day, gets his jollies from trolling the trolls.
And there’s nowhere better to find the worst of humanity spewing forth their bile than the comments on underground fight club site Skizm. Billed as the ‘‘Starbucks of murder, the Mcdonald’s of madness and the Burger King of badness’’, it live-streams head-tohead clashes, where the winner leaves with their life.
But although it’s beloved by many of Miles’ fellow citizens of Shrapnel City, he thinks it threatens civilisation. Unfortunately, the creators don’t take too kindly to that criticism.
Cue a less-than-friendly visit from Skizm boss Riktor (Ned Dennehy) and his boys, a little DIYmodification and surgery to Miles’ hands and an unsolicited invitation into the competition.
Now, he has just 24 hours to kill his opponent, the seasoned and slightly crazy Nix ( Ready or Not’s Samara Weaving) – unless, of course, she gets him first.
After the fitfully hilariousmetal horrors of Deathgasm, Kiwi visualeffects-specialist-turned-writerdirector Jason Lei Howden’s return to the big screen is another gleefully over-the-top take on a well-worn genre.
Filled with visceral violence, copious car-nage and pitch black humour (much comedy is mined frommiles’ attempts to do seemingly simple taskswith his new enhancements), Guns Akimbo
feels like the mutated offspring of The Running Man, Escape From New York and Edward Scissorhands, with a side-order of sensibility borrowed from Jason Statham’s Crank.
Howden puts his leading man through all manner of indignities, as Radcliffe’smiles battles to stay alive on the still somewhat recognisable inner-city streets of Auckland. Fortunately, as demonstrated in the likes of Swiss Army Man and Horns, the former Harry Potter isn’t afraid to get down and dirty.
For Kiwi cinemagoers, there’s the added delight of spotting the likes of Rhys Darby, Josh
Thomson, Grant Bowler and Thomas Sainsbury in minor roles, but fans of Australian starweaving will be somewhat disappointed by her screentime and limited character.
Props are certainly due to Howden himself for his visual and aural flair (the eclectic soundtrack includes the fabulous use of Dead or Alive’s You Spin Me Round and Rick James’ Superfreak), but the premise’s initial promise eventually drains away as Guns Akimbo slavishly follows familiar beats towards a fairly predictable conclusion.
While most assuredly not for the faint hearted (or easily offended), Guns Akimbo can’t be accused of not living up to its name.
After previews in select cinemas this weekend, Guns Akimbo opens nationwide on Thursday.