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American Gun

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American Gun (2006)

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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

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Release:

Aug 29, 2006

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Reviews for American Gun

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21 - 31 (sorted by date)
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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

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

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

Many guns litter this multicharacter examination of the insidious ways firearms have become a fixture in American life, but only one is ever fired and with devastating results.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/22/06
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

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

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

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

'American Gun' takes the wise step of looking not at a particular school massacre, but at those intimately affected.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
03/18/06
Donald J. Levit
Donald J. Levit
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

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

...an overblown and surprisingly tedious polemic.

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

Painfully earnest but dramatically inert.

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