Guns Up

Now, as I stumbled upon this 2025 action comedy titled "Guns Up" and seeing that it had Kevin James in the lead, of course I had to check it out, even without ever having heard about the movie.

Writer and director Edward Drake put together a rather enjoyable and entertaining script. It was a nicely written storyline that contained a lot of action, laughs and also character building. So it was a nice movie to sit through.

The acting in "Guns Up" was good. And with the likes of Kevin James, Christina Ricci and Luis Guzmán in the movie, of course you're in quite capable company.

With "Guns Up" being an action comedy, of course there was action in the movie, and I will say that the action sequences were nicely choreographed and executed on the screen.

This is definitely a movie that I will say is worth sitting down and spending 92 minutes on watching.

My rating of writer and director Edward Drake's 2025 movie "Guns Up" lands on a well-deserved six out of ten stars.

I don't get the low rates here. It's a Kevin James movie. What did you expect? Scarface? The Godfather? The guy is a comedian and usually stars in movies that aren't that serious and probably never win a Oscar, but at least they will always be entertaining and enjoyable.

And this movie fits exactly into that mold. Nothing fancy, no extremely deep character development, no deep story, no AAA acting, none of that. Just a movie to put on while you are bored and you don't know which movie to pick. Pick this one, don't expect AAA and you will have a great time. Its fun, enjoyable and it's a good action comedy.

Fun, family-friendly action flick, blends action, drama, and family dynamics ideal for a popcorn night.

Unfortunately, The Trailer to "Guns Up" gives away MOST of the plot and a main twist - AVOID - The Trailer and go straight to the movie!

Action comedy featuring Kevin James as an ex-cop turned mob collector seeking a fresh start for his family, with a cast including Christina Ricci, Luis Guzmán and Joey Diaz.

Written and Directed by Edward Drake, it's a solid, entertaining watch, the storyline is engaging but not groundbreaking, with some forced dialogue and a twist that will feel predictable!

While the plot starts slow, it delivers surprises, decent dialogue, and well-choreographed action. Kevin James shines, balancing serious and comedic roles, though the film leans back toward his comedic roots unevenly.

Brendan Galvin's - Cinematography choices - excellent - as most of the filming is shot at night - so none of that "new age gotta be all dark" - instead, nighttime shots blend and transition well into the indoor scenes.

And away ... gone(s) away of sorts ... well no pun intended as always. This feels like it was written by a teenager - no offense even if it sounds like it. There are so many changes - highs and lows ... really tough to connect with the people/characters ... although I was pleasantly surprised with Kevin James - you may be more familiar with him as a comedian, but he can work in action movies too - as in serious and going for ... not his first foray into the action genre.

In the end though it seems to be going back to his ... comedic roots ... but not really in the best way possible. I like that there is a twist, though to be honest I kind of felt that there was more to that character anyway .. so that reveal was nothing special .. except that it kept undermining everything before. Suspension of disbelief is quite big with this one ... the delivery of very fine dialog feels forced too ... so while there are some bangers ... they don't hit home (or restaurant for that matter or whatever else) when they are spoken ... as is said in the movie itself: Everyone wants to be a lion, until they have to do lion sh... well this at least tries to do lion ... stuff, so I guess kudos for that.

Still you can have fun with this ... some liked this (friends of mine), others were left quite cold about it ... I was not too impressed to be honest, neither super disappointed ... although I would have loved better execution (well I had to end on another pun ...)

Aside from having to believe that Kevin James can last an entire fistfight without collapsing from exhaustion, this film leaves much to be desired.

If it's a comedy, I couldn't tell because there were no funny parts. If it's an action movie, why is Kevin James the star? How many tanks of oxygen were on hand to make sure he didn't pass out? Surely there were more donuts, but that's another story.

There's an absolutely ridiculous twist that feels forced in with an atomic shoehorn.

I give this film zero pairs of underpants from the big and tall man's shop run by Thornton Melon and his driver Pauly.