Die in a Gunfight looked like it could’ve been a fun, off-the-rails action-thriller and instead is a Romeo and Juliet story that never really clicks and there’s not a whole lot that was actually entertaining and the two leads didn’t have much chemistry.
Die in a Gunfight
(2021)
Genre(s): Romance, Thriller
Lionsgate| R – 92 min. – $21.99 | July 20, 2021
Date Published: 08/04/2021 | Author: The Movieman
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Lionsgate provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 1½/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Mary (ALEXANDRA DADDARIO) and Ben (DIEGO BONETA) are star-crossed black sheep of two powerful families engaged in a centuries-long feud. When Mary and Ben reignite an affair after many years apart, their forbidden love triggers a dangerous collision of schemers and killers. Fists and bullets fly, but maybe love will conquer all.
Quick Hit Review: Die in a Gunfight, based on the title alone, makes it sound like what could be a balls-to-the-wall insane action movie. And while there are certainly quirky elements, this is one of those films with trite dialogue and direction, that it’s a bit too into itself for its own good. I’ve read some online comparing this to a Tarantino wannabe but personally this reminded me of Robert Rodriguez or even Guy Ritchie, more than anybody. In any case, the movie itself was just a tepid compared with the title. The acting is so-so at best although certainly Alexandra Daddario is a looker however she and Diego Boneta, playing the Romeo and Juliet-inspired characters, didn’t have a whole lot of chemistry, not that they had all that much to work with. Meanwhile, Justin Chatwin is a hapless villain, more of an entitled millennial whiner along the lines of Hayden Christensen’s Anakin.
The film was directed by Collin Schiffli (Animals, All Creatures Here Below) from a script written by Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari (Ant-Man and the Wasp). I’m not entirely sure who this film was aimed at nor what exactly what it’s supposed to be. At its core, this is of course a modern take of Romeo and Juliet but mixed in there’s a hyperteality style and comic book inspirations with animated sequences to fill in on the back stories of the two main characters; albeit done due to budgetary constraints. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2¾/5 |
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This release comes with a glossy slip cover and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Audio Commentary — Director Collin Schiffli, Producer Tom Butterfield & Writers Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari Love is Messy: Making Die in a Gunfight (10:56) — Behind-the-scenes featurette with interviews by the cast and crew as they discuss the plot and characters. Pretty basic stuff but better than nothing I suppose. To Paris and Back (3:48) looks at a deleted sequence with accompanied storyboard and later utilizing animation to tell certain background elements. |
VIDEO – 4¼/5 |
| Lionsgate releases Die in a Gunfight, presented with a 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer. For the most part the picture looks… good, pretty much on par with any new, relatively decent budgeted production. Detail is fairly sharp and colors are bright and quite vibrant throughout, even during some of the darker scenes. It’s nothing exceptional, however looks good in HD. |
AUDIO – 4/5 |
| The included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track was basically adequate. Dialogue comes across with good clarity via the center speaker and there is some so-so depth for the ambient noises, but I would expect more from a movie with gunfight and outside of one sequence really, this is a movie that is more low key. That being said, it’s still a fine lossless track, just not entirely special. |
OVERALL – 2½/5 |
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Overall, Die in a Gunfight looked like it could’ve been a fun, off-the-rails action-thriller and instead is a Romeo and Juliet story that never really clicks and there’s not a whole lot that was actually entertaining and the two leads didn’t have much chemistry. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.