Directed by:
Aric Avelino
Starring:
Donald Sutherland …. Carl Wilk
Forest Whitaker …. Carter
Marcia Gay Harden …. Janet Huttenson
Linda Cardellini …. Mary Ann Wilk
Chris Marquette …. David Huttenson
Nikki Reed …. Tally
Arlen Escarpeta …. Jay
Garcelle Beauvais …. Sarah
Amanda Seyfried …. Mouse
IFC Films presents a film directed by Aric Avelino. Written by Steven Bagatourian and Aric Avelino. Golub. Running time: 95 minutes. Rated R (for violence content and language). Released on DVD: August 29, 2006
American Gun tries to show us that gun violence has a ripple effect, that pulling the trigger ourselves doesn’t only hurt us, but those we love around us. But that’s something we knew well before this film was made, and I’m reasonably sure that the film maker and all those involved know that fact as well. there are anti-violence programs in effect at just about every school after what happened at Columbine. So surely they plan to tell or show us something other than what is already known, right?
The film is spliced up in to four tales of sadness caused by guns. The first story we’re told revolves around Janet Huttenson (Marcia Gay Harden), a mother dealing with the three year anniversary of her sons murderous rampage at school and eventual suicide. She does press interviews about the event and gets paid doing so, at first we think she’s just making a dime off her sons death. But soon discover that she’s only does those things to be able to afford to send her other son, David (Chris Marquette), to a private school, away from the one where his brother went. Now she’s forced to be scorned by the neighbors but can’t do anything about it because money is too tight for them to move.
Also in the movie is Carter (Forest Whitaker), who’s the current principle at the school, taking the place of the former one who left shortly after the shooting. Carter was once a small town teacher, a kind and caring man who paid attention to all of his kids and listened. Now with metal detectors and other types of security, he’s left as nothing but a man there to maintain order. No longer that helpful mentor he saw himself as, he doesn’t even have time for family life.
A local police officer (Tony Goldwyn) plays another part in the film, who still has regret and remorse for not responding as best he could to stop the event from happening. And now the town uses him as the de facto scapegoat as to why so much harm happened that horrific day at the school. He’s still trying to get his life back in order but every time he starts to move on, the press makes sure to remind him and others of his errors.
And lastly, a story that doesn’t even seem to take place in the same state, let alone the same city. We have a student in college, Mary Ann Wilk (Linda Cardellini), stuck working at her family gun shop owned by her grandfather (Donald Sutherland) to make due. This part of the film is sure to be the most distracting as it doesn’t seem to fit anywhere. It appears to be here to show that upbringing doesn’t necessarily dictate personal behavior, but it’s not fully formed enough or given enough screen time to convey exactly what it is trying to show.
The individual stories are fantastic, and if split up in to their own films, each one could have been marvelous achievements. Yet when combined with very little connecting them – besides firearms and both the physical and emotional effects that stem from them – they lose something, they all lack that sense of completion. The film plays out as if someone is in the room with you screwing around with the remote, flipping back and forth between four films your genuinely interested in seeing but not giving you the luxury of seeing any of them play out. When the credits roll, your just aggrivated because you feel like you missed something that could have been bigger, something that could have been great. But isn’t because someone couldn’t focus on one single thing and roll with it.
American Gun does a good job at showing us the crippling effect that gun violence and violence in general can cause to the innocent bystanders. But does it give us any new perspectives in to the nature of these acts? No. Does it offer something that any of the countless other ant-violence films have given us in the past? No. Is it worth watching? Maybe. One can never hear enough about what gun violence can do to a family or the community, but if the film intends to make an impact on its viewers then it has to do so in a very precise manor, knowing exactly what it is it’s trying to purvey. American Gun doesn’t do that, it spends too much time sitting on the fence. Instead we get a look at what can happen to people after an incident but very little in how to prevent them or fully understanding the strain they cause. Nor does it give us much of a sign as to how these people will carry on with their lives.
Video:
(Presented in 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen)
Shot with only a few million dollars for a budget, the film looks rough and gritty. The picture is generally noisy through out the film with a very interesting choice of lighting and camera angles. For a small indie film, American Gun looks good, but could probably look better.
Audio:
(English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround)
There really isn’t much to say about the audio track. Nothing hurts the sounds but then again there isn’t much happening to make it stand out either. This is an average track that presents the film the way it was intended and does it well.
Extras:
The Making of American Gun (8:16) – Made up mostly of clips from the actual movie, there is very little here in terms of substance. The cast and director talk about gun control and the effect that weapons can have on families and communities, but make sure not to state their personal opinion or what the film was attempting to say on the subject. It’s your usual EPK piece.
The Inside Pulse
With a good script, above average acting, and a talented eye behind the camera American Gun is a film worth noting. But the execution leaves much to be desired, and leaves too many “what if” moments while watching. The movie may be worth a rental, but chances are that you’ve seen what it’s trying to accomplish before in other films and they probably did a better job with it.
