Owen gets gun crazy

Some action thrillers like "Live Free or Die Hard" pretend to obey the laws of physics. "Shoot 'Em Up" labors under no such delusions. Nor does plot, character or continuity get in the way of the new film, which opens wide tomorrow.

Clive Owen is Mr. Smith, a mysterious gun-slinger who saves a pregnant woman in the film's opening minutes and is subsequently chased by a hen-pecked killer (Paul Giamatti) for the rest of the movie.

That's pretty much all there is beyond an orgy of gun violence that would make "Hard Boiled" look like a Merchant-Ivory production. Writer/director Michael Davis flashes both wit and a wink-wink understanding of just how preposterous this all is, and we can guess he's trying to entertain us while deconstructing the modern action film. But this year's "Hot Fuzz" already beat him to it, and it's a far better takedown than what we get here.

For a good while, "Shoot 'em Up" is glorious fun. And it features a truly original sex scene that's both erotic and sidesplittingly funny. But the gag wears off soon enough, and Davis isn't creative enough to keep the jokes flying alongside the bullets.

(Photo credit: James Dittiger/New Line Cinema)