American Gun (2002)

Touches You

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

This is a fairly animated drama about a man who researches the gun that killed his daughter, looking for answers through that path.The movie is a lot of things. It certainly has style, I think one must admit. It continually goes off into new directions.We get many flashbacks to the greatest generation years during World War II, where the father is a young man who is a very believable young soldier. He finds killing hard, and guns take getting used to.There is a huge sense of realism in this story. Even though we don't have the specific experiences and backdrops that the father, played by James Coburn, experiences, we somehow feel them. We are drawn into the home and decor of this family, and adopted.Thereis some smart directing, and some smart writing.However, this is "hit and run, hit and miss". There are just as many fanciful stretches in this story, too, seemingly to make a point.It isn't exactly "preachy", but the history of the gun does seem to have a Hollywood story to it. Never once does it just wound anyone. It manages to kill a number of people through different owners.That part just didn't fit in with the "realism" feel of the story, and of the family.As for the "hit and run" turning into "hit and miss", we feel like the writer is congratulating himself on keeping us off balance. It becomes less of a story we are in, and more of a story we know someone is telling. We lose the natural flow, because we are so conscious he is always trying to throw us for a loop.However, I realize some people probably like that. I felt the writer did this too much to keep a natural look about the story.

Coburn makes a graceful exit from the cinema in this thoughtful contemplation on the issue of gun control. He plays a rural father and grandfather whose semi-estranged daughter (Madsen) is shot to death right before Christmas. Wracked with grief and guilt, he sets out on a journey to trace the gun that killed her, ending up with it's last owner. Meanwhile, his wife Bain copes in her own way and his teenage granddaughter Holden flirts with disaster out on her own. The story is told in a way that flashes back to Coburn's own history with guns as a youth and that conceals certain details of the events in order to startle the viewer near the end. Coburn, who is visibly struggling with the pain of arthritis, is solid throughout. He is able to avoid the type of tacky swan song that so many stars wind up in during their autumn years (though he did do quite a few pieces of garbage during the middle of his career like "Looker" and the TV mini-series "Valley of the Dolls", to name only two!) It's refreshing to see him paired with an actress so close to his own age as his wife when, so often, male stars have spouses or girlfriends anywhere from 10 to 30 years younger than them. Bain, who is done no favors by the lighting here, gives a strong performance as well and is believable as his character's wife. Madsen does a fine job as the somewhat troubled daughter. This was done before her attention-getting work in "Sideways" and the film might have garnered a bit more attention had it been released after that. Holden is good in her role, though it's a bit difficult to swallow her transformation in character and appearance. The film isn't particularly believable at all times and is contrived and even pat, but it musters up enough interest and irony (and avoids being too preachy on it's subject) to remain entertaining.

I saw this movie for the first time a few days ago. I have been a James Coburn fan since I was a kid so seeing his name in the starring role made me want to check it out although I had never heard of this movie before. Apparently, it was his last movie and I was really pleased to see him finish his career with such a good role. This movie has a great message without being preachy and the twist in the story caught me completely by surprise and I love that sort of thing. I was pleasantly surprised to see Barbara Bain (another favorite of mine) playing his wife. It took me a minute to recognize her. I just wanted to add my comments on this movie because of the other review I saw here that dismissed it as something not very good. I would hate to see someone pass up a chance to see James Coburn's last movie because of some misguided comments by someone who thinks they are a critic. This is an interesting and informative movie and is well worth viewing especially if you are or were a Coburn fan.

James Coburn is an actor who has proven his worth by hislongivity. I have admired his work since I was a kid. My admirationcontinues. He was awesome in Affliction and no less awesome inAmerican Gun. This story is very inventive in its telling. It utilizes the device offlashback better than any film in recent memory. It has also,through its multiple story line, enabled to include in its cast avariety of minoroty actors and strong female roles. The issues thatare tackled are well examined. War, male rites of passage,father/daughter, parent/child relationships, faith and forgiveness toname a few. And it manages to not give away its ending. I highlyreccomend this film.