RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / American Gun
American Gun

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

American Gun (2006)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
38 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:29

Fresh:11

Rotten:18

Average Rating:5.4/10

Consensus: Despite its intriguing premise, this earnest anti-gun polemic is too melodramatic to resonate.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violent content and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:2006

Synopsis: AMERICAN GUN is a powerful series of interwoven storylines that bring to light how the proliferation of guns in America dramatically affect and shape the every day lives of its citizens. The film... AMERICAN GUN is a powerful series of interwoven storylines that bring to light how the proliferation of guns in America dramatically affect and shape the every day lives of its citizens. The film opens at the start of another day in a Virginia gun store, where owner Carl (Donald Sutherland), continues to sidestep controversy while running the shop he loves. His newest employee is his granddaughter Mary Ann (Linda Cardellini), a college student pressured to spend a semester in the family business. Despite her misgivings, curiosity overcomes her as she is slowly seduced by the weapons she sells. Across the country in Oregon, Janet (Marcia Gay Harden) is suffering through a television interview marking the third anniversary of her older son's high school shooting rampage and suicide. As a single mother, she worries for her younger son David (Christopher Marquette) who is now the same age his brother was when he committed the terrible acts. While dealing with his own rage and grief, David quietly falls for Tally (Nikki Reed), the new girl in town. Meanwhile, Frank, a middle-aged deputy, watches the interview intently; still haunted by vicious accusations that he could have prevented the tragedy. On Chicago's gritty west side, principal Carl (Forest Whitaker) struggles to keep his violent inner-city high school from self destructing. His wife Sara (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon) desperately fears for the safety of their young son. When ace student Jay (Arlen Escarpeta) is caught hiding a handgun, both principal and student find themselves facing decisions they never wanted to make. --© IFC Films [More]

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Nikki Reed, Marcia Gay Harden

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Nikki Reed, Marcia Gay Harden, Linda Cardellini, Tony Goldwyn, Christopher George Marquette, Arlen Escarpeta, Charles Duckworth, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Amanda Seyfried, Melissa Chessington Leo, Schuyler Fisk

Director: Aric Avelino

Director: Aric Avelino
Studio: IFC Films

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 9

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Aug 29, 2006

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for American Gun

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
05/14/07
Boxoffice Magazine
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

...more like talking points for a film than a finished product. The effects of violence and the gun trade are examined, but little light is shed.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/24/06
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Film Journal International

takes too many shortcuts and easy-outs in exploring the issue

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
08/29/06
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

...an overblown and surprisingly tedious polemic.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
09/26/05
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Actually PAY MONEY to see this in a theater? No way.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
03/24/06
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

Avelino's message about America's gun-happy culture is so foursquare and what-you-see-is-what-you-get that it's possible to walk out of the film wondering if you missed the point.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
03/22/06
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

American Gun arrives in theaters too late to really make a difference or say anything new on the subject of school shootings.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
04/28/06
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Skittishly paced and dramatically diffuse, American Gun misfires.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/08/05
Joe Leydon
Joe Leydon
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a bit like watching a weaker version of Crash, with fewer coincidences.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
04/21/06
John McMurtrie
John McMurtrie
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Handy rule of thumb for first- time filmmakers: No more than one crying scene per film, please. Like any other commodity, tears aren't worth much if they're overstocked.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
03/23/06
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[T]his is no bit of cheap exploitation created merely to rake in some dough. But purity of motives aside, the film simply isn't very good.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
04/25/06
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

The acting is pro enough to keep your blood up, but the reverb is minimal.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
03/21/06
Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The guns seem to have been shoved in various characters' pockets as afterthought, and Avelino's interlocking stories never click.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
04/07/06
Michael Booth
Michael Booth
Denver Post

Painfully earnest but dramatically inert.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
09/13/05
Michael Rechtshaffen
Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Full of grating hysterics and solemn symbolism.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
08/18/06
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Slant Magazine

Despite a few effective moments, Gun ... never makes the big statement it seems to be reaching for.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
04/21/06
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

While the movie feigns objectivity, it’s clear from the start that, for Avelino and co-writer Steven Bagatourian, there’s not a scenario imaginable in which having a firearm on hand would be preferable to not having one.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
03/23/06
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas
L.A. Weekly

This stridently sorrowful polemic against the proliferation of handguns in the United States consists of three fictional vignettes.

comment Comment
03/22/06
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Aside from a few moments of quiet pathos that ring true, Avelino's directorial debut is a calculated piece of cinematic outrage marred by on-the-nose dialogue and melodramatic contrivance.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
03/24/06
Timothy Knight
Timothy Knight
Reel.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for American Gun

November 28, 2006: RTIndie: "Little Miss Sunshine," "Half Nelson" Lead Indie Spirit Award Noms
It's time again to celebrate the best that indie-land has to offer. The Spirit Award nominees are out, with "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Half Nelson" leading... More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
14% 14% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Total Recall

Total Recall

John Travolta's top reviewed movies

Disney Countdown

Disney Countdown

Look back on Disney's best animated movies!

RT's Gift Guide

RT's Gift Guide

Give the best movies, gear, and more!

What's Coming Out

What's Coming Out

Find movies for the holiday weekend!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
51
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
128
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
181
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
92
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
78
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
78
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
70
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
45
  • WB offers DVD to Blu-ray Trade-In Program
33
  • RT's Blu-ray Picks from WB
22
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
22
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Angels & Demons, Funny People, and Superman
19
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
21
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • American Gun at Rotten Tomatoes
  • American Gun at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Animated Oscar?
Animated Oscar? External Link

Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.

TIME's Holiday Movie Preview
TIME's Holiday Movie Preview External Link

Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.

Scenic Routes
Scenic Routes External Link

The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.