Name: Retro Film Review: Mean Guns (1997)
Item: Mean Guns
Rating: 30
Author: @drax

(source:tmdb.org)

(SPECIAL NOTE: Capsule version of the review is available here.)

"Miracle" is the word author of this review uses very rarely in order to describe films. When I use that word, I usually think of films that are surprisingly good. Sometimes miracle films don't have to be good. It is enough for them to be tolerable. Mean Guns, 1997 action thriller directed by Albert Pyun, is one of those films, and the miracle of that film is in the simple fact of being watcahble despite belonging to the opus of Albert Pyun, film maker responsible for some of the most atrocious wastes of celluloid in the entire history of the Seventh Art.

The plot starts with hundred gangsters, debt collectors, professional assassins and similar organised crime associates receiving unusual invitation from all-powerful crime Syndicate. They are to attend party in Syndicate's newly-built super-modern prison. When they get there they are disarmed and locked in. Syndicate's boss Vincent Moon (played by Ice-T) informs them they are all sentenced to death for betraying Syndicate. But the real surprise comes in form of their execution - they must kill each other with limited cache of weapons and ammunition left within prison walls. Only the last three survivors would be allowed to live and even receive 10 million US$ as a prize. The game starts and immediately turns into vicious all out war of everyone against everyone. Group of four desperate survivors, including cold blooded Marcus (played by Michael Halsey) and slightly insane Lou (played by Christopher Lambert), creates temporary alliance in order to find a way out.

The main concept of Mean Guns might have looked ridiculous and surreal in 1997, but it doesn't look that way after being compared to more recent and more respectable films like Fukasaku's Battle Royale or some of the more extreme television reality shows in past few years. Pyun has wisely used that concept in order to put the entire action into isolated setting and thus prevented Mean Guns from revealing its low budget. On the other hand, that couldn't prevent Pyun from displaying his inability to direct action scenes, although this inability is more tolerable than in other Pyun's movies. Mean Guns has very interesting cast, with some actors, like Christopher Lambert trying to put some novelty into their rather limited repertoire. But in too many cases otherwise respectable actors are wasted in subplots that go nowhere. But, despite all that, Mean Guns is at times very entertaining film, mostly because Pyun doesn't try too hard to make it serious. Anthony Riparetti's mambo music in the background helps audience to achieve that ironic distance from Mean Guns and is probably the most responsible for this small miracle in Albert Pyun's career.

RATING: 3/10 (+)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on February 19th 2004)