Guns is a gritty and dramatic mini-series that tells the story of four families caught up in illegal gun trafficking and the ripple effect this has on their lives. This is the story of those who traffic...
DVD Review: Guns
The combination of character and story make Guns a worthy summer viewing.
Ammon Gilbert, Jul 08, 2009
The grimy underworld of gun trafficking has been explored only a handful of times on the big screen, most recently in the Nicolas Cage film Lord of War. We're usually treated to stories of drug trafficking or human trafficking, but guns? Leave it to Canadian filmmakers to take us there with Guns, a TV miniseries that recently debuted on DVD. With a summer full of reruns and bad reality shows, Guns may be your ticket for some quality TV entertainment.
Guns kick-starts with gun violence and the loss of innocent life, prompting gun enforcement agents Shawn Doyle and Lyriq Bent to track down those responsible for bringing illegal guns into the city of Toronto, leading to an investigation of underground arms dealer Colm Feore, a powerful and seemingly untouchable man with many ties within the government. Through the investigation we're introduced to a number of characters who are involved with the big business of gun trafficking, including Feore's slacker son (Gregory Smith) and his obedient girlfriend (Elisha Cuthbert), a recently paroled street thug getting back into his illegal shenanigans, and a newspaper intern who's taking steps to lead a crime-free life. Throw in some government corruption, crafty police work, weird family dynamics, and a cast of well-developed characters to make this three hour miniseries fly by while keeping you on the edge of your seat.
What makes Guns compelling is its focus on the gun trafficking world from multiple angles, from the untouchable big players to the bottom-feeders who take the heat when things go wrong. It also explores the innocent people directly affected by gun violence as they cope with their loss and the steps they take to do something about it. While this angle felt a little forced and unnecessary, I realize that it was a needed angle to drive the harsh reality of why illegal guns are bad.
Cuthbert headlines the cast, but she's not the main character. While she gets plenty of screen time, it's a lesser role than you'd expect from the star of 24 and The Girl Next Door, which is odd as it's her mug and star status that's being sold on the box. Being a fan of her work and her smoking good looks, I would have liked to have seen more of her. Then again, the story line involving her character was one of the least interesting ones for me.
The rest of the cast delivered some impressive performances, especially Doyle as the lead detective, and the always sinister Feore as the gun kingpin. There's something about that guy (another 24 alum) that screams coldhearted evil. Since this was a Canadian production, I didn't recognize most of the other cast members, but they still managed to crank out solid performances.
This is where I normally talk about the DVD as a whole, and discuss its many special features and whether or not it's worth throwing down your hard-earned cash to own or not. Guns features 5.1 surround sound and anamorphic widescreen, but doesn't include a single special feature. There is a scene selection navigation menu, but it's so difficult to use that I would suggest using the skip command on your remote instead. The chapters are illogically placed, making it difficult to determine where you left off if you don't sit down and watch all three hours at once. Usually the reason behind DVD chapters is so you can easily find the scenes you want. However, this is not the case with Guns.
If you're looking for a quality rental that promises to deliver in terms of woven storylines and interesting characters, not to mention an exploration of the interesting world of gun trafficking, I highly recommend picking up Guns for some mid-week entertainment. However, due to its lack of extras, I can't recommend buying the DVD, as there's just not enough to warrant multiple viewings. In true TV miniseries form, Guns delivers more in-depth character development than a regular feature film, and I found myself wishing it was a full-fledged series by the end, as I could see Guns going the way of shows like Law & Order in both quality and longevity.
Live and die by Guns, now available from Peace Arch Home Entertainment.
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