Quick Review: American Gun B+

A Film Review By Stefan Vlahov

What American Gun has going for it isn't originality, isn't subtlety, and definitely isn't timeliness of release. Coming only months after the similarly structured Crash won the Best Picture Oscar at the Academny Awards might make some critics label it as a rip-off or a copy-cat of that film. I took the high road and took it as a stand-alone film, because in the end - that's what it is. It interweaves seemingly separate stories into one coherent whole. One story involves a student (Arlen Escarpeta) whose whole life seems to be turned against him, while another involves a police officer (Tony Goldwyn what is arguably his best performance ever) who has to see ugly things every day, and then there is the story of single mother Janet (Marcia Gay Harden) who is struggling with life in general. All these people's lives are in one way, shape or form affected by the prolifecation of guns in American Society and their daily lives. It is a movie with a controversial message, but the emotion that accompanies that message is real, raw, and unforgettable. It is a film that will challenge the viewer for a good cause. Worth every penny.