# "Shoot ' Em Up" is the craziest action movie EVER! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 2, 2019, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898 "2019-04-02T01:11:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/1 "2019-04-02T01:11:35Z")
Going through some boxes in the attic I found a DVD of the 2007 movie [Shoot ’ Em Up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV-nIlZ3XeE). So we watched it again, first time in about 10 years. I had forgotten how absolutely fucking bananas this flick is. It’s non-stop action from beginning to the very last second. It starts with the anti-hero getting into a gun battle while delivering a baby, then shooting the umbilical cord. It continues on with gun battles while having sex, killing bad guys with a carrot, and wild car chases. Not only is the action so thick it’s exhausting, it’s also very clever and funny as hell! Check it out if you can. But it’s not for the kiddies. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/2 "2019-04-02T02:08:32Z")
I recall someone at the time it came out saying it was essentially, a live action gun battle version of Bugs Bunny. Basically, it’s an action movie that uses cartoon physics (even more than regular action movies, I guess). ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/3 "2019-04-02T02:34:43Z")
It’s as ridiculous as a John Wick movie, but it’s _meant_ to be funny. I have to watch it every few years. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/4 "2019-04-02T02:35:47Z")
Aye; I love this movie. Great fun! ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/5 "2019-04-02T04:26:19Z")
I was thinking about it just the other day. Paul Giamatti’s finest role! ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/6 "2019-04-02T06:12:36Z")
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it, but I think that Crank 2 would probably top it - though maybe not by much. Machete 2 was also pretty hilarious and over the top. Though that’s if we just confine ourselves to Hollywood. There are some Japanese live action films that would blow all of those handily out of the water. Look up the trailer to Robo Geisha, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/7 "2019-04-02T06:40:04Z")
“Do we suck this much or is he really that good?” ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/8 "2019-04-02T07:21:04Z")
What happened to the director? I honestly thought that was some of the best filmed action ever. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/9 "2019-04-02T09:11:17Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > What happened to the director? I honestly thought that was some of the best filmed action ever. Looking at the list of his other works, I’d say that I wouldn’t bet on the likelihood that he would turn out another gem if he got back into directing. It looks like he realized that himself and, rather than risk turning out another clunker and ruining the opportunity, it was better to cash in and use the popularity of Shoot 'em Up to move up the ranks and get an Executive Producer role. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/10 "2019-04-02T10:20:24Z")
Eh. It’s no [Kung Fu Hustle](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373074/). ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/11 "2019-04-02T14:56:21Z")
“Nothing like a good hand job” ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/12 "2019-04-02T15:07:35Z")
I’ve seen all of those movies, and they are pretty over the top, but the ultimate in non-stop insanity is, “Hardcore Henry”. From the Parent Preview Guide: > [@](#): > > Why is Hardcore Henry rated R? Hardcore Henry is rated R by the MPAA for non-stop bloody brutal violence and mayhem, language throughout, sexual content/nudity and drug use. > > Violence: > > - Frequent explicit violence extreme brutality, extreme bloodletting and extreme tissue damage. > - Frequent and prolonged portrayals of graphic violence. > - Pervasive portrayals of gun, weapons, and hand-to-hand violence, with blood, brutality, dismemberment, and detailed wounds. > - Frequent depictions of beating, shooting, stabbing, explosion, burning and decapitation. > - Explicit torture. > - Disturbing scenes. > - Frequent detailed gory and grotesque images. > - Sexual violence. I don’t think they liked it. LOL ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/13 "2019-04-02T19:59:22Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > I’ve seen all of those movies, and they are pretty over the top, but the ultimate in non-stop insanity is, “Hardcore Henry”. No, the ultimate in non-stop action is _[The Raid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raid_(2011_film))_. This movie spends about the first minute on the story; everything from then on are action scenes. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/14 "2019-04-02T20:47:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > No, the ultimate in non-stop action is _[The Raid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raid_(2011_film))_. This movie spends about the first minute on the story; everything from then on are action scenes. To be fair, he said non-stop _insanity_, not non-stop _action_. This thread is about the craziest action movie\*, not the best or the most action-intensive. - _Kung Fu Hustle_. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/15 "2019-04-02T21:16:53Z")
Clive Owen plays a man of action quite well…his previous film was Children of Men, which had some amazing action sequences. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/16 "2019-04-02T22:07:45Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > “Do we suck this much or is he really that good?” That’s the thing with these movies. Nobody stops to think 'He’s killed so many of colleagues, most who were just as good as me, and he did it by his damn self. Maybe I should sit this one out." ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/17 "2019-04-02T22:29:58Z")
The closest thing to an action movie that got a lot of general critical praise and sold a lot of tickets is _Mad Max: Fury Road_: 8.1 on IMDb 97% on Rotten Tomatoes 90 on Metacritic Nominated for Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director Won Oscars for Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing Listed in this poll as one of the top twenty films of this century: > **[The 21st Century’s 100 greatest films](https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films)** > > The best that cinema has had to offer since 2000 as picked by 177 film critics from around the world. And in this poll too: > **[The 25 Best Films of the 21st Century So Far. (Published 2017)](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/09/movies/the-25-best-films-of-the-21st-century.html)** > > A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis rank the best films made since 2000. I remember seeing it and thinking, “What, how could the fourth film in a franchise be the best one?” ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/18 "2019-04-03T00:13:52Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > his previous film was Children of Men, which had some amazing action sequences. Yeah, Alfonso Cuarón is a hell of a director. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/19 "2019-04-03T03:04:36Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > To be fair, he said non-stop _insanity_, not non-stop _action_. This thread is about the craziest action movie\*, not the best or the most action-intensive. Okay, I’ll agree that the action in _Kung Fu_ is crazier than _The Raid_. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898/20 "2019-04-03T06:33:54Z")
I do own a DVD of “Shoot 'em Up” and agree it is one of the craziest action films out there. Whenever I see a carrot I think of it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoot-em-up-is-the-craziest-action-movie-ever/831898.md?page=2)