With "Guns Akimbo" Daniel Radcliffe flashes back from the involuntary Corona break. But it was not worth the wait.
He was already devil against his will ("Horns") and farting corpse ("Swiss Army Man"). Every role, no matter how wacky, seems right to Daniel Radcliffe (30) to finally strip off the reputation of the eternal magic student. In his new film "Guns Akimbo" (theatrical release: June 25th), an exaggerated mixture of cyberpunk, anime and action comedy, this becomes clear once again. But what could have been an absurdly charming orgy of balls degenerates into a piece of cake with a clumsy statement that pees on the leg of the target audience.
From internet troll to action star – that's what it's all about
Miles (Radcliffe) is considered a failure by his environment and most of his colleagues. Fat little Max in his late twenties, who still has an immortal crush on his ex-girlfriend Nova (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), only does it in the virtual world. With a beer too much in the pear and in a dispute, he lets himself be roused in the forum of an illegal platform called Skrm to rant about a person he doesn't know. It's just stupid that it was the operator of the site where real duels are carried over to life and death.
As soon as the laptop is closed, the henchmen are already in front of Miles' apartment door and open up to the Internet mouth that he has "voluntarily" registered as a participant in the murderous spectacle. In order to give him little or no escape options, they put the deadliest woman in the world on him in the person of Nix (Samara Weaving) – and also screw the poor guy a pistol on each hand.
Absurd, but not innovative
The insane act makes it clear: For "Guns Akimbo" the brain may – no, must – be switched off. The stylistic role model is clearly the action tour de force "Crank" with Jason Statham, which has now been shipped into a gamer setting with cyberpunk and anime bonds. But it was not just the logic that was saved – the special effects are not exactly screaming for an Oscar.
They wouldn't have to, if "Guns Akimbo" had become a film with trash charm. But instead of completely concentrating on madness, the streak tries to use the crowbar to create a pseudo-moral that shoots precisely at the target audience: digital natives are either sensational sociopaths, trolls and / or losers. And gamers like the main character Miles are so unfamiliar with the world that only an imposed life and death game shows them what "violently blatant graphics" is.
It only gets even more clumsy when the villain babbles to himself "everything for the quota" while people are massacring each other. Then at the latest the film slanders itself.
"Guns Akimbo" is not particularly innovative, at least with the exception of the dowels pegged on the hands. On the contrary, the plot is almost frighteningly reminiscent of a film called "The Tournament" from 2009, in which the audience (limited here to rich sneaks) also delights at the sight of how a group of assassins tackle each other. And as a participant against his will Robert Carlyle had to serve …
Conclusion:
"Guns Akimbo" wants too much. Anyone who relies on such a wacky, sometimes vulgar story should save money with sermons – the plot serves exactly the sensationalism that it accuses society of in a very clumsy manner. Daniel Radcliffe can be attested the title "always trying" – but it is well known that this does not always protect against failure.