From the sick and twisted mind behind Deathgasm (the campy Evil Dead-influenced horror import from New Zealand) comes Guns Akimbo, a movie that asks: what if Harry Potter but guns? The plot revolves around a nobody played by Daniel Radcliffe who wakes to find guns surgically bolted to his hands. He has to shoot his way through a social-media-influenced killing contest if he wants to save his life and proves that maybe he is a hero after all.
Radcliffe has devoted his post-Potter career to weird, experimental projects (looking at you Swiss Army Man) and his latest is right in line with those more wild sensibilities. As far as I’m concerned, Radcliffe’s move to bedazzle his filmography with so many left-field films makes him a more interesting quality and has helped carve out a healthy career, particularly for a once-child star. The elevator pitch for Radcliffe’s latest seems to assume that people want John Wick-style gunmanship choreography but with the camp dialed up to 11 and I have no doubt there’s an audience here.
The official synopsis for Guns Akimbo reads:
“Miles’ (Daniel Radcliffe) nerdy existence as a video game developer takes a dramatic turn when he inadvertently gets caught up as the next contestant with SKIZM, an underground gang live-streaming real-life death matches. While Miles excels at running away from everything, that won’t help him outlast Nix (Samara Weaving), a killer at the top of her game.”
Guns Akimbo debuted at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival before moving to a crowd much more on its level with Fantastic Fest and has been met with mixed reviews, some bedazzled by its go-for-broke spirit and others worn out by its cheeky non-stop violence. Check out the bonkers trailer below and make your own judgement call. Personally, after Deathgasm, I’m more than willing to give Jason Lei Howden’s latest a fair shake so let the madness begin.
In addition to Radcliffe and Weaving (Ready or Not), Guns Akimbo co-stars Flight of the Concords favorite Rhys Darby. It’s set for release February 28, 2020.
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By: Matt Oakes
Started blogging about film in college when the university paper wouldn’t have him. Dislikes your consensus film Twitter favorites. Devotee of horror movies that make him die a little inside. Catches films at festivals when he can. Proud SFCS and OFCS member and Tomatometer-approved critic. Editor-in-chief of Silver Screen Riot.
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