Today’s quick review: Guns Akimbo. Miles Harris (Daniel Radcliffe) makes a costly mistake when he trolls on Skizm, a site that streams death matches. In retaliation, Riktor (Ned Dennehy), the owner of the site, bolts two guns to Miles’ hands and forces him to participate in the next Skizm match. Now Miles has just 24 hours to kill Nix (Samara Weaving), his psychotic opponent, or Riktor will have him killed instead.
Guns Akimbo is a gory, stylized action thriller about an innocent man who gets forced to participate in a violent death match in front of millions of viewers. Guns Akimbo features an over-the-top premise, bloody and chaotic action, and heavy video game influences. The movie’s rampant violence and warped sense of humor will drive off many viewers, but anyone with compatible taste will be treated to a wild and creative thrill ride.
Guns Akimbo nails its sense of style. From its neon overlays and varied camerawork to its pulsing electronic soundtrack, Guns Akimbo draws the viewer into a world of death and mayhem. Miles, unable to accomplish even basic tasks because to the guns attached to his hands, races to get away from Nix, his heavily armed and highly capable opponent, in a city that’s buzzing with excitement for the latest Skizm stream.
The style wraps perfectly around the backbone of the movie: the action. Guns Akimbo goes all in on its action, shooting up apartments, streets, and offices as Miles and Nix duke it out. The fights are noisy and creative. The movie has a knack for throwing awkward obstacles in Miles’ way, and Nix has her own armory to keep things fresh. The experience is topped off with a passable plot and some barbed jabs at internet culture.
Still, in spite of its best efforts, Guns Akimbo comes across as a little thin. The movie flirts with a backstory for Nix and Riktor which would have fleshed out the world of Skizm. But instead of supporting this extension to the story, it treats it as a passing curiosity. Likewise, the movie is a little too aggressive about sacrificing its characters. The result is a story that’s less satisfying than it could have been with a shade more effort.
Guns Akimbo is decidedly not for everyone. Anyone even remotely sensitive to violence should steer clear, as should anyone who prefers the carefully channeled violence of films like Pulp Fiction. But for fans of flashy violence and dark humor, Guns Akimbo is a rare treat. Give it a shot if you think your tastes line up.
Guns Akimbo is the latest in a long line of gory, stylized action movies. Shoot ‘Em Up has a tongue-in-cheek tone and treats guns as the solution to every problem. Gamer deals with similar themes of video game violence and internet voyeurism. Hardcore Henry has video game influences and its own gimmick in the form of parkour. Crank and its sequel feature similarly manic energy and heavy stylization.
With more of a thematic connection, Wanted tells the story of an office worker who finds his calling as an assassin. Smokin’ Aces features a group of rival assassins who descend on the same hotel. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World drops the violence and doubles down on the video game influences. Battle Royale and The Tournament have free-for-all death matches. Finally, Arena is a budget action movie about a man forced into an online death match.
[6.3 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6902676/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for stylish execution of a hit-or-miss premise.