Writer/director Michael Davis (Monster Man, 100 Girls) had a vision and by gosh if he didn’t deliver, kicking off this film with a brazen title and a bullet-ridden New Line logo and never slowing down. Fueled by heated adrenalin and boiling testosterone, and boasting a body count of 100, the blisteringly paced Shoot ’Em Up is a frenzy of superbly rendered, gun-oriented action sequences, including many ridiculously inconceivable ones: shooting while having ambulatory sex, shooting a newborn’s umbilical cord, shooting while skydiving (watch out for that helicopter!) and, for variety, death by carrot (several of them). Audacious? The bad guy owns a gun factory! You need a plot? Well, Clive Owen is the nameless hero who defends an infant from a bloodthirsty Paul Giamatti with the help of lactating hooker Monica Bellucci. We’re not sure why, so don’t even ask.

Shelf Talk: Shoot ’Em Up grossed less than $13 million in wide release in September, which is good news for home entertainment as A-listers Owen, Giamatti and Bellucci are considered safe bets with moviegoers, and Owen is on a particularly hot streak with Children of Men, Inside Man and Sin City. Like the latter film, Shoot ’Em Up delivers hard-boiled, graphic action and should appeal to that rabid fan base. We’re not sure why the film didn’t receive a stronger box-office response—the reviews were relatively positive—but those who saw it talked it up, and a vast audience awaits.