Cast: Liam Neeson, Oliver Platt, Sandra Bullock, Jose Zuniga, Mitch Pileggi, Richard Schiff, Mary McCormack, Frank Vincent
Director: Eric Blakeney
Producer: Sandra Bullock
Screenplay: Eric Blakeney
Cinematography: Tom Richmond
Music: Rolfe Kent
U.S. Distributor: Hollywood Pictures
Some actors stay in front of the camera for their entire career. In ever-increasing numbers, however, performers are getting the itch to become engaged in other aspects of film production. A few, like John Cleese and Kenneth Branagh, prefer to be involved in every aspect of the making of a movie. Some, like Tim Robbins and Tim Roth, step behind the camera. Still others, like Tom Cruise and Sandra Bullock, go into producing, where they have power but not necessarily artistic control.
With her star in rapid descent as an actress, Bullock has apparently decided to re-invent herself as a producer. But, as the wildly uneven Gun Shy proves, it's not as easy a task as it might initially seem to be. In fact, there are three clues to indicate that this movie may be something of a white elephant: it has been released theatrically during the early-year "dumping period" (which extends from early January to late February), only New York-area and Los Angeles-area multiplexes are getting prints, and the distributor is Disney's Hollywood Pictures imprint, which is not known as a bastion of high quality.
Directed by first-time filmmaker Eric Blakeney (who also wrote the choppy script), Gun Shy belongs to the suddenly-popular school of "tough guys go to therapy" movies. Unlike in Analyze This or TV's "The Sopranos", the patient here isn't a gangster, it's Charlie (Liam Neeson), a legendary DEA undercover agent sent in to catch the gangsters. The pressure of his job is starting to get to Charlie, and he's beginning to crack - not a good position to be in when he's about to become involved with a bad guy named Fulvio, the "Jeffrey Dahmer of hitmen." Together with Fulvio, who is fronting mob money, a Colombian drug lord (Jose Zuniga), and a wall street party guy (Mitch Pileggi), Charlie is trying to put together a big deal that will lead to a big bust. Along the way, not only does he have to deal with his psychological problems, but his constant flatulence leads him to a gastroenterologist's office, where he is given a special treatment by Judy Tipp (Sandra Bullock), the "enema queen." Charlie likes her work so much that he later accepts her offer to go out on a date.
The intent is for Gun Shy to be a quirky comedy/thriller with a little romance thrown in. The problem is that, while some of the subplots and characters are interesting, they are mired in a dull, pointless storyline that plods along implausibly to a moronic ending. It's one thing for the occasional secondary story not to work, but, when the primary plot is dead-in-the-water, it's difficult to find many nice comments to make about a movie. Had the proceedings been funnier, livelier, or more interesting, Gun Shy might have worked, but it's none of those things.
Much of the comedy in Gun Shy is strangely understated, so the movie comes across as being more serious than it should. And, while it's not as somber as The Godfather, it's more grim than either of the recent mafia-for-yucks efforts, Analyze This and Mickey Blue Eyes. The film also has a dark and sterile feel that is contributed to by the director's lack of imagination (camera placement is repetitive and generic), the cinematographer's decision to shoot everything with seemingly minimal lighting, and a flat, lifeless performance from lead actor Liam Neeson. Like in The Haunting, he's here strictly to pick up a paycheck. No wonder he thought about quitting acting.
The romantic subplot, while underdeveloped, represents a nice diversion, as do Charlie's therapy sessions and his interaction with Fulvio. Bullock, reduced to a supporting role, still has charisma, even though her image has been seriously tarnished by a series of bad choices. Platt steals almost every scene he's in, but not even he can infuse Gun Shy with enough zest to keep it from putting viewers to sleep. Also, perhaps not surprisingly, he gets all of the good lines - to the extent that Gun Shy's screenplay can claim to have good lines.
One final note: this movie makes a lot out of the intestinal troubles of its two main characters (Charlie has cramps and flatulence, Fulvio has a prostate problem). As a comedic plot device, this is a rather dubious direction in which to go. The enema scene is more uncomfortable than funny, and, other than providing the means by which Charlie and Judy meet, it serves no purpose. Like too much else in Gun Shy, this is a miscalculation. The movie's sights are off, and, while it doesn't fire blanks, it too often misses the target.
© 2000 James Berardinelli