Guns Akimbo is a 2019 action comedy about a down-on-his-luck video game developer forced to kill a dangerous opponent with guns bolted to his hands.
Have you ever wanted to see something that’s like a combination of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Kick-Ass and Crank? Well then, you’re in luck. Guns Akimbo is one of the craziest movies ever made, which is the biggest compliment you can give to a film like this. Written and directed by Jason Lei Howden, known for making the unhinged and bloody horror comedy Deathgasm, he showcases his unique style of filmmaking once again in Guns Akimbo, and it’s thoroughly entertaining for the whole audience to enjoy! It has such an insane premise, but it’s a really fun genre flick to watch with a group of friends and let loose.
It stars Daniel Radcliffe as a down-on-his-luck video game developer named Miles who gets some form of pleasure by trolling people on the internet. There is a popular yet illegal death-match fight club called Skizm that many viewers love watching people kill each other online. However, he has made the terrible mistake of leaving some malicious comments during a live broadcast of Skizm, so the leader who’s behind this channel named Riktor (Ned Dennehy) finds and forces him to participate by having guns bolted to his hands. His mission is to kill a deadly assassin named Nix (Samara Weaving), otherwise he’ll die by the hands of this criminal organization.
First of all, Radcliffe is absolutely great in the lead role, and he carries the film with his hilarious and fun performance. To many people, he’ll always be recognized as Harry Potter, but he has done some other incredible features such as Swiss Army Man and Horns that showcase his brilliant talent as a versatile actor. It’s so funny to see a guy like him forced to be in a death match against a brutal killer, and he shows that very well. Weaving is also really good, and she brings a lot of fun energy to the premise. Whenever she’s on screen, you just love seeing her throw down against her enemies, and it’s a blast! However, the main antagonist Riktor is a pretty cliched bad guy that you don’t care for, because his motivation isn’t really clear. He’s just evil for the sake of it, so he does feel a little generic and uninspired as a villain most of the time.
The action scenes are bonkers, and that’s one of the main things you would expect to see in Guns Akimbo. They’re brilliantly shot, which you obviously have to give props to Stefan Ciupek’s amazing skills as a cinematographer. It’s extremely violent, and it’s a lot of fun to watch! Howden’s script is incredibly funny, and it’s filled with hysterical moments that fans of dark and twisted humor will love. While the premise is undeniably crazy, it’s also predictable at times. It’s a pretty simple story, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still easy for the audience to figure everything out as the movie goes on. During the second act, it does feel a little rushed at a point, but it’s a minor flaw that you can easily forgive.
In the end, Guns Akimbo is a ton of fun! Its flaws aren’t enough to compromise the unique experience of watching this movie. It’s a really stylish popcorn flick that will remind you of the three titles that have been mentioned in the intro of this review! If you’re a moviegoer who wants to see a feature with great acting performances, entertaining action sequences and hilarious humor, this film is made for you.