Movie Breakdown: Die In A Gunfight

Pre-Screening Stance:

I like a lot of the faces attached to Die In A Gunfight – Alexandra Daddario, Justin Chatwin, Billy Crudup, Travis Fimmel – but it definitely looks like the kind of film that has the potential be a mess.

Post-Screening Ramble:

I wouldn’t call Die In A Gunfight a triumph, but I had fun with it. The film is essentially another take on Romeo And Juliet, in that there’s two powerful families – the Gibbons and the Rathcarts – who don’t get along and, of course, kids from each side that want to be together anyway. Can Ben Gibbon (Diego Boneta) and Mary Rathcart (Alexandra Daddario) be kept apart? Of course not! So, chaos ensues.

At just 90 minutes, the film looks streamlined, but it’s actually a thick affair. There’s a lot going on with its plethora of characters and their motivations, but director Collin Schiffli wisely employs Billy Crudup to narrate a good bit of the exposition. It mostly helps, especially with how these parts are often stylishly animated, but each section does come off like a big info dump. Still though, aside from a few dense stretches, Die In A Gunfight does hum along nicely. The film holds a good sense of humor and the ever-kinetic pace seems like a concerted effort to battle short attention spans. Also, Boneta and Daddario have solid on-screen chemistry, and I enjoyed the outlandish characters that surround the pair throughout Die In A Gunfight.

If you like different takes on Romeo And Juliet or you’re just looking to engage with something entertaining, you should check out Die In A Gunfight when it gets released in theaters and on-demand this Friday, July 16.

One Last Thought:

Travis Fimmel really shines here. His character, Wayne, is all at once intimidating, charming and nuts, and I would happily watch a movie based solely on him. Someone make it happen.