A seven-year-old action movie is a great blend of Zack Snyder’s style and Kick-Ass, and even after all these years, it still needs a sequel. The action genre can be a tricky one to master, as it’s not just about exciting action scenes, as a well-structured story is needed to ensure success. The list of the best movies of all time definitely includes action movies that understood the assignment, such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Aliens, and Mad Max: Fury Road.

In the last decade, some notable action movies have been John Wick: Chapter 4, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and Logan, but as happens in every other genre, great action movies have been overshadowed by the biggest releases. Such is the case for Guns Akimbo, an action comedy movie written and directed by Jason Lei Howden, and starring Daniel Radcliffe in one of his weirdest but best performances to date.

Guns Akimbo was released in 2019, but unfortunately, it suffered the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of that, Guns Akimbo became available digitally on-demand less than three weeks after its theatrical release. Unfortunately, Guns Akimbo was a box-office failure, grossing $1 million against a budget of $15 million, and it wasn’t the critics’ favorite either, with a 53% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, Guns Akimbo is worth watching thanks to its concept, performances, and chaotic fun.

Guns Akimbo Is Perfect For Zack Snyder Fans (Or, Indeed, Kick-Ass Fans)

Guns Akimbo takes the audience into an alternative near future where a criminal organization and underground fight club known as Skizm is widely popular thanks to its livestreams of real death matches. After computer programmer Miles (Daniel Radcliffe) logs into Skizm to insult those who use murder as entertainment, he’s targeted by criminal kingpin Riktor, who runs the website, and his henchmen, who attack and drug him at his home.

When Miles wakes up, he has guns bolted into his hands and is forced to participate in Skizm, going against its deadliest killer, Nix (Samara Weaving). What follows are Miles’ efforts to survive, which go from comical as he tries and fails to take the guns off to suspenseful as the game takes many violent turns. Looking back, Guns Akimbo has the best of Zack Snyder’s action movies and both Kick-Ass films.

Guns Akimbo is reminiscent of Zack Snyder’s works in terms of visuals, with its hyper-saturated aesthetic that makes it look like a live-action video game, a similar editing style in its action scenes, and carefully choreographed fights. Guns Akimbo will also appeal to fans of Kick-Ass, as they share a similar violent style, over-the-top dark comedy, and an unprepared main character thrown into action and chaos. Guns Akimbo, then, is a fun combination of action, comedy, mesmerizing action scenes, and excellent pacing to keep the audience hooked from beginning to end.

Why Guns Akimbo 2 Needs To Happen

Unfortunately, its box office numbers (though affected by the pandemic) and critical reception aren’t good enough for Guns Akimbo to get a sequel, even though it should definitely get one. Without going into details so as not to spoil the story and what happens to Miles, Guns Akimbo leaves the door wide open for a sequel, though without being a cliffhanger.

Skizm by itself gives enough material for a sequel, as there’s still a lot to explore about the organization, how it originated, and all the people secretly in charge of it. There are also the stories about the game’s many killers, as just like Nix, they surely have some personal reasons to do what they do. At the time of writing, there are no plans or even hints at a possible sequel, prequel, or some sort of continuation of Guns Akimbo, but the movie is a must-watch for those into action, comedy, and unique stories.

Release Date

February 27, 2020

Runtime

98 minutes

Director

Jason Lei Howden