Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
‘Guns Akimbo‘ hilariously imagines the worst-case scenario for an online troll who just can’t stop posting nasty comments. For programmer Miles Lee Harris (Daniel Radcliffe), it becomes a nightmare come true when he wakes up with guns bolted to his hands , and a psychotic assassin named Nix (Samara Weaving) out to kill him. All because he trolled the wrong guys.
Written and directed by Jason Howden, ‘Guns Akimbo’ starts off by introducing “Skizm,” an underground criminal ring that live-streams deadly gladiator-style fights for entertainment. Nix is the reigning star of these brutal matches, and now Miles must face her in a fight to the death, with his ex-girlfriend Nova (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) held hostage to ensure he plays along.
Daniel Radcliffe is a riot as Miles, the meek programmer who can’t stomach real-life violence but thrives on dishing it out behind a keyboard. He spends his days coding a game about squirrels while enduring constant humiliation from his smug boss, and takes revenge by unloading cruel, trolling comments online. It’s a deliciously ironic role that Radcliffe portrays entertainingly through the 1 hour 38 minute runtime.
Samara Weaving, meanwhile, is casting gold as Nix, a walking embodiment of chaos who looks straight out of a first-person shooter game. With her massive guns, manic grin, and “shoot first, think never” energy, she’s the kind of unhinged badass that makes every scene crackle with danger and savagery.
Technically, Nix might seem like Guns Akimbo’s antagonist, but she’s hardly evil, just a hired gun playing for the prize, not payback. The real monster is Riktor (Ned Dennehy), Skizm’s deranged ringleader who treats murder like prime-time entertainment. He personally selects his fighters, forces them to kill for the camera, and rakes in profit from global live streams.
One of the funniest running gags in ‘Guns Akimbo‘ is the on-screen graphic that constantly tracks how many bullets are left in the guns stapled to Miles’ hands. He starts with 50 rounds in each, and every time he fires, whether intentionally or by accident, a cheeky “Righty” and “Lefty” counter pops up on screen, ticking down the number.
‘Guns Akimbo’ is a silly, fun, over the top action-comedy, which does have a sloppy pace, but it’s video-game style chaos and energy are very enjoyable.
Rating: 7.5 on 10. Guns Akimbo is on Prime Video.
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