Guns Akimbo (2020)

February 27, 2020 (BE) • Action, Comedy, Thriller • 98m

Overview

An ordinary guy suddenly finds himself forced to fight a gladiator-like battle for a dark website that streams the violence for viewers. In order to survive and rescue his kidnapped ex-girlfriend, he must battle Nix, a heavily armed and much more experienced fighter.

Director

Jason Lei Howden

Writer

Jason Lei Howden

Top Billed

Daniel Radcliffe

Keywords

hero gladiator fight website bad cop gunfight body mutilation death match homeless man computer programmer live stream guns rescue from fire viral shooting death game violence

Where to watch

Free / Included

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video with Ads

Rent

Buy

Top Billed Cast

Daniel Radcliffe

Miles

Samara Weaving

Nix

Natasha Liu Bordizzo

Nova

Ned Dennehy

Riktor

Rhys Darby

Glenjamin

Grant Bowler

Degraves

Edwin Wright

Stanton

Milo Cawthorne

Hadley

Mark Rowley

Dane

Racheal Ofori

Effie

Set Sjöstrand

Fuckface

Graham Vincent

Cop #1

Tim Foley

Cop #2

Richard Knowles

Zander

Aaron Jackson

Clement

Josh Thomson

Grim

Jack Riddiford

Shadwell

Hanako Footman

Ruby

Colin Moy

Clive

Tom Sainsbury

Singstar Dude

Janos Tiborcz

Graveworm

Ken Thomas

Police Chief

Aaron McGregor

Jock

Mark Sole

Skizm Fan

Tarun Mohanbhai

Skizm Troll

Robert "Bob" Snowman

Skizm Goon #1

Matthias Schendel

Skizm Goon #2

Igor Tjumenzev

Skizm Goon #3 / Mr. Fister

Kris Hermansson

Skizm Goon #4

Byron Coll

Skizm Goon #5

Mattias Inwood

Skizm Goon #6

Joe Witkowski

Skizm Commander / Skizm Goon #7

Logan Cole

Daddy Doubletaps

Michael Ricks

Lead News Anchor

J. David Hinze

News Anchor

Jeff Szusterman

News Reader

Ryan Hadaller

News Panelist #1

Anne Alexander Sieder

News Panelist #2

Bella Padden

Young Nix

Philipp Franck

Tragic Brother

Mirko Stübing

Curveball

Sigi Polap

The Apprentice

Lukas Gaisberger

The Gardener

Wolfram Huber

Gasman

Janna Cachola

Bar patron (uncredited)

Jacqueline Lee Geurts

Irene Degraves (uncredited)

Kim Girschner

Medical Assistant (uncredited)

Stephen Grey

Vadim (uncredited)

Murray Knock

Police Officer (uncredited)

Tawanda Manyimo

Miguel (uncredited)

Crew

Timothy Wells

Special Effects

Mike Runagall

Executive Producer

Jane O'Kane

Makeup Designer

Christoph Meiser

Executive Producer

Wolfgang Stürzl

Executive Producer

Silvia Schmidt

Executive Producer

Shanan Becker

Executive Producer

Ness Saban

Executive Producer

Tony Willis

Visual Effects Supervisor

Felipe Marino

Producer

Jason Lei Howden

Director

Joe Neurauter

Producer

Tara Finegan

Executive Music Producer

Enis Rotthoff

Original Music Composer

Michael J. Mailis

Executive Producer

Luke Haigh

Editor

Will Clarke

Executive Producer

Belindalee Hope

Line Producer

Zaz Montana

Editor

Robyn Grace

Associate Producer

Jay Taylor

Executive Producer

Alexander Borgers

Executive Producer

Andy Mayson

Executive Producer

Joe Simpson

Executive Producer

Bastien Sirodot

Executive Producer

Mortiz Peters

Executive Producer

Adrian Politowski

Executive Producer

John Jencks

Executive Producer

Stefan Kapelari

Executive Producer

Gareth Edwards

Set Decoration

Shay Lawrence

Makeup Artist

Nick Connor

Art Direction

Gabriel Kearney

Art Direction

Hayley Ness

Assistant Makeup Artist

Nane Cornelius

Set Decoration

Annika Rahner

Makeup Artist

Nick Bassett

Production Design

Sarah Howden

Costume Design

Hucky Hornberger

Art Direction

Cameron Brown

Stunts

Ashlee Fidow

Stunts

Stephen Grey

Stunts

Tori Marsh

Stunts

Bill Bromiley

Executive Producer

Bryan Fulk

Property Master

Helge Neubronner

Associate Producer

Simon Williams

Executive Producer

Philipp Kreuzer

Co-Producer

Jörg Schulze

Co-Producer

Jason Lei Howden

Writer

Isabella Odoffin

Casting

Stefan Ciupek

Director of Photography

Yvette Reid

Casting

Dixie Chassay

Casting

Tom Hern

Producer

Ulrik Bruchholz

Stunts

Michael Vanbelle

Stunts

Scott Chiplin

Stunts

Lukas Gaisberger

Stunts

Mark Trotter

Stunt Double

Michael Kulzer

Visual Effects

Rajab Hassan

Stunts

Jordan Smith

Foley Editor

Benjamin Treplin

Steadicam Operator

Hannes Pastor

Stunts

Raffael Armbruster

Stunt Double

Scott Marsh

Stunts

James Carroll

Foley Artist

Steve McQuillan

Stunt Coordinator

Hannah Spreitzenbarth

Stunts

Dawid Szatarski

Fight Choreographer

Dan Perry

Special Effects Makeup Artist

Alessandro Cioffi

Visual Effects Supervisor

Michael Vetter

Sound Mixer

Jon Vogl

ADR Mixer

Jacqueline Lee Geurts

Stunt Double

Claudia Heinz

Stunts

Patrick Hecht

CG Supervisor

Honar Perwaisy

Stunts

Marco Nostadt

Visual Effects Supervisor

Brandon Kotfila

ADR Recordist

Steffen Jung

Stunts

Mirko Stübing

Stunts

Martin Kwok

ADR Editor

Ferenc Lukács

ADR Recordist

Sascha Kolmikow

Special Effects Makeup Artist

Niklas Kinzel

Stunt Double

Wolf Steiling

Special Effects

Mark DeSimone

ADR Mixer

Brendon Morrow

Sound Effects Editor

Alice Weibhauser

Second Assistant Director

Tameka Sowman Vahatau

ADR Supervisor

Aleks Sakowski

Second Unit Director

Hayden Collow

Sound Effects Editor

Gareth Van Niekerk

Sound Effects Editor

Guy Campbell

Second Assistant Director

Robyn Grace

First Assistant Director

Henrik Zähringer

Matte Painter

Sebastian Nozon

Visual Effects Supervisor

Greg Junovich

Sound Supervisor

Benjamin Darier

ADR Mixer

Stan Bush

Songs

Reviews

SWITCH.

⭐ 5/10

February 23, 2020

There's definite cheap fun to be had here, just try not to go in with expectations too high. This was potential wasted, but at least we always have 'Deathgasm' to fall back on.
- Jess Fenton

Read Jess' full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-guns-akimbo-just-like-harry-potter-but-with-guns-and-more-violence-not-really

Manuel São Bento

⭐ 8/10

April 28, 2020

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @
https://www.msbreviews.com

As it becomes more and more common nowadays, I have to start this review by stating that no controversy surrounding this film affected my opinion in any way. I’m feeling a bit exhausted about the fact that almost every movie has some sort of external problem entirely unrelated to its story or characters. You can watch whatever you want, no one will make you watch this or that film. As long as you don’t purposefully give a negative review based on something that has nothing to do with the movie itself, I’m fine with people skipping them. That said…

I really enjoyed Guns Akimbo! I mean, how can someone not feel entertained by Daniel Radcliffe dressed in his robe with guns attached to his hands? Or by Samara Weaving taking a step up in craziness compared to Ready or Not? There’s no denying that this film is extremely violent, bloody, and it doesn’t shy away from having a clear social commentary. The latter is not only evident, but it undoubtedly demonstrates something everyone knows it’s true: Internet trolls are the worst!

Actually, I wish Jason Lei Howden would have gone even further. There’s a lot of potential in a movie like this, and while it’s safely above average, it could have been at the top of the most entertaining films of the last few years. Still, I wholeheartedly love this take on a subject that everyone (online film critics especially) unfortunately has to deal with every day. A part of me wished it was real… Every time a “troll alert” was activated, that person would have to leave its comfortable, safe couch, and battle TO THE DEATH other online cowards in real-life… okay, maybe not that extreme, but you get my point.

The action is as crazy as the concept itself. It goes by without saying, but obviously, this is one of those flicks which asks the viewer to simply accept and enjoy the unrealistic, far-fetched, no-way-he-could-have-survived-that action. The camera work (cinematography by Stefan Ciupek) suits the videogame-style employed by the action, and even though some sequences are admittedly way too over-the-top, the majority of these scenes are either pure entertainment or truly hilarious. Oh, and Michael Bay, if you’re reading this: Guns Akimbo gives a neat demo on how to make explosions look really cool AND advance the narrative.

The two leads are fantastic and share great chemistry. Daniel Radcliffe has been doing some overlooked/underrated work post-Harry Potter (definitely check out Swiss Army Man), and he’s very funny throughout the whole runtime. On the opposite side, Samara Weaving apparently found his comfort zone in portraying completely lunatic, insane psychopaths. Both deliver incredibly entertaining performances, carrying the whole movie through all of its wild action and comedic bits.

Jason Lei Howden isn’t able to control the film’s pacing very well, but it never becomes overwhelming. However, the tone is spot-on. Guns Akimbo never tries to be something more than what it actually is. It keeps the narrative simple and fun without complex layers or extreme romantic endeavors. It never says to the viewer, “I know the action is absurdly over-the-top, but here’s a really emotional scene that you’re supposed to care about”. It’s an entertainment-driven story with no real emphasis on character development, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Guns Akimbo is the craziest movie of 2020, so far. Jason Lei Howden doesn’t hold back on the brutal, violent, bloody, extremely over-the-top action, and as long as the viewer is able to accept this purposefully unrealistic depiction of a real-life videogame death-match, it’s a blast of pure entertainment. The social message is evident, and it’s perfectly suited for today’s online trolls, who hide behind their monitor. Daniel Radcliffe and Samara Weaving are amazing together, both delivering hilarious performances. Unfortunately, this film doesn’t reach its full potential. It lacks control of its pacing, but I genuinely wish Howden would have gone all-out regarding the social thematic. It’s a good, fun movie, but it could have great. Still, it’s undoubtedly a recommendation of mine, unless the (dumb) controversy surrounding this film clouds your judgment. In this case, just skip it and let others enjoy it.

Rating: B

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Gimly

⭐ 5/10

June 10, 2020

I've made no secret about my opinions on Samara Weaving, but I was more than willing to give _Guns Akimbo_ a chance anyway. I wouldn't say I regret that decision, but I was underwhelmed. I'm going to use a term here that I have not used unironically in... God, maybe, genuinely, over a decade, because I don't know how else to describe _Guns Akimbo_: _Guns Akimbo_ is fuckin' **tryhard**. It's so desperately ~~edgy~~, in a way that tries to emulate … read the rest.

Kamurai

⭐ 8/10

December 12, 2020

Great watch, will likely watch again, and do recommend.

Such a great, yet equally awful premise, it affords some top notch ridiculous abuse humor mixed with some of the most fun and fulfilling action I've seen in quite some time.

Playing a guy that piss off the wrong guy on the internet, Danielle Radcliffe (Harry Potter) embodies the spirit of desperation, and he does so much with it, given that he literally can't answer his phone or open a… read the rest.