Good idea lost in the noise

An action-packed slog

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

let's see we've had bang bang you're dead,, elephant,, and now American Gun.. the best performance i thought in this one was of the Principal,, Forest whitaker,, he did a great job.. Marcia Gay Harden did pretty well to i might add,, Nikki Reed plays yet another girl that teases,, except this time she's not as trashy as usual. Donald Sutherland plays the gun shop owner.. this is a tale of 4 different , or maybe 5 different people's point's of view,, it's a complicated web,, sometimes very hard to follow,, i mean yeah you can put 2 and 2 together in this one,, but in order to do that you gotta figure out the timeline of when the events actually occurred.. quentin Tarantino would be proud of all of the scene jumbling in this one. basically you got a school shooting that has apparently already happened,, a principal trying to stop the violence in school,, a smart kid who feels the need to hide a gun on school property.. a mother who is ostracized for not knowing that her son was capable of wiping out students and teachers. a cop who arrived to late to save anyone,, a gun shop owner, who apparently sold the kid the gun,, or maybe his parents,, it was never really explained in the movie.. you got the brother of the shooter, who falls for this little tease... nikki reed, you got neighbors outraged that the mother and the other boy still live in the neighborhood,, fascinating film,,,

Forest Whitaker, Marcia Gay Harden, Chris Marquette, and Tony Goldwyn give outstanding performances, but they could not save the abrupt ending and need for more closure in this film. It helped that Harden, Marquette and Goldwyn were given the strongest storyline in the film. Whitaker's did not fully develop, and its big finish was lackluster and left me wanting more. The storyline between Donald Sutherland and Linda Cardellini was the most disappointing of all. There was no significant change or resolution to make the viewer feel as if the movie was really over. "American Gun" does an adequate job of arguing for stricter gun control, but there are a few major flaws to that argument that present themselves, leaving the viewer confused about what to think. Worth seeing, but don't expect to be WOWed. I'm willing to bet there are better movies out there about how guns affect American society.

Character study interweaves different American's particular situations dealing with guns, and although there are some heartfelt moments and subtle touches of authenticity, this movie generally wastes the majority of it's time trying to get viewers involved with characters that are inadequately portrayed, with direction that is competent at best. While there are moments of surprising observation and relevance, throughout the movie most of these character's barely make a register on the viewers emotions due to the detached approach the filmmaker choose, I suppose as an attempt to emulate realism and lend the film some depth. Unfortunately, this backfires, as Avelino simply does not have the ammunition suitable to deliver the riveting drama he attempts here. While a few of the stories retain slight interest, no doubt due to the sometimes worthwhile cast, at least half of the plot here veers off to a tangent that really has no substance in dealing with the topic at hand, or the characters underlying emotions. Sutherland's chapter in particular seemed like a total throwaway for this movie, and completely under-utilizes the actor's immense talent. All and all, this is not a terrible movie. It addresses at least a few painful gun related issues lingering around the American psyche, but unfortunately it addresses these issues in a completely flat and unengaging way.

I disagree with the people who think that nothing sticks out in this movie.I saw it and was amazed at some of the things that were said and shown.Sure, there may have been some exaggerated intensity, but isn't that sometimes necessary to prove a point.Do you think that the real lives of people who have to carry guns to school, are robbed at gun point, or live a threatened life are calm, relaxed, or peaceful? No. Those lives can be full of anxiety, violence, and much intensity!I think this movie provides a great view of something that is ripping apart our society before our very eyes.Hats off to the film makers!