A odd hallucination of a sleek shoot-'em-up, reviewed by moi for dvdsnapshot.com for your safety...
Shoot the Hero!
Official Synopsis
30-something couple (Jason Mewes and Samantha Lockwood) unintentionally become involved in a botched jewel heist while shopping for wedding rings. The plot thickens when the crooked casino owner (Danny Trejo) who engineered the heist hires two unassuming hit men to clean up the mess, and the soon-to-be husband and wife find themselves discovering new things about themselves and their relationship.
Our Take
Three strung together, inter-connected crime vignettes, Shoot the Hero certainly has lots of pretty style, but how's it work for substance?
Part one is “Nate & Kate” and features the (completely unlikable) couple shopping after-hours for wedding bands only to be interrupted by a jewelry store robbery. The idea they'd be discussing their relationship problems in the middle of a shoot-out is not only outlandish, it's off-putting. What happens after strains all credulity as the burglars choke on their own machismo in a “I've seen way too many cool action movies” moment. Guys trying to steal millions in precious gems and other items do not take a break to kick-box one another. Why should we invest in violence that clearly has to consequences to characters we haven't even related to yet? This fact hobbles the film right out of the gate.
Jason Mewes plays nebbish and shows versatility beyond his typecasting as part of “Jay and Silent Bob.” His verbal sparring with relative newcomer Samantha Lockwood (the shrewish Kate) is entertaining, but so detached from reality they provoke guffaws when the film wants awe. Plop their self-absorbed couple in a different film and you'd have some entertaining sparring.
Part two, “The Smith Brothers,” features squabbling siblings (Mike Hatton and Nic Nac) lugging garbage bags through the desert night. Their kvetching is, unsurprisingly, interrupted by a shootout of another kind. The pleasure of Fred Williamson making an appearance to chew scenery like his trademark stogies goes a long way, but doesn't salvage this muddle of slackers and “Keystone Cops” survivalists that keeps threatening to slide into slapstick.
The first two segments dovetail into the third, which sparks audience enthusiasm by opening with B-movie legend Danny Trejo as crime lord “Crazy Joe.” He and Nick Turturro's jewel robber bring their careers playing bad guys to good effect. They're a short-hand to raise the stakes and capture the audience late in the game. Sadly, the illegal casino “Mexican Standoff” strains all credulity and wastes the cachet they bring.
The film looks and sounds good, with a slick sheen and fine pacing. The problem is the content. Unrealistic characters in stories with predictable twists. In the real world, innocent bystanders tend to get a bit stressed when trapped in the middle of gunplay. In the world of Shoot the Hero, they get glib. An odd mix of happy ending and toxic post-Tarantino violence, Shoot the Hero is a mix that never quite gels.
(Side note A: Why is Taylor Negron's name misspelled on the DVD packaging?)
(Side note B: Katie Morgan, the baby-voiced adult film star who brought memorable sweetness to Zack & Miri Make a Porno, appears briefly as Crazy Joe's moll. She's arm candy here but worth keeping an eye on. Her woozy comic presence should lead to a bright future.)
Special Features
Shoot the Hero! Is presented widescreen with an option for Spanish subtitles. The Bonus Features menu offers about 26 minutes worth of video production and director's diaries, both three-part featurettes. There are video interviews with director Christian Sesma and Jason Mewes, a photo galley. The DVD also features a trailer for the far more interesting looking documentary, Restrepo.
Conclusion
Shoot the Hero is built out of painful, straight-outta-film-school scenes of “relationships vs. violence” that probably reads better than they play. The whole shebang is a pretty “boy's toy” of an action film choking on it's own “hey, look what I can do” coolness, tension-free gunplay, and an uncomfortable mix of flippancy and violence. Sesma has a great eye, but his excesses make for hard viewing. I look forward to his work once he steps away from his “Tarantino & Rodriguez” checklist.
For fans of absurdly exaggerated, glossy shoot-'em-ups only.
Overall Picture
Movie: D+
Extras: B-
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