Feature | Lights, Camera, Action! - Gutshot (DVD Movie Review)

Gutshot (UK Rating: 15)

Poker lesson over: Gutshot also happens to be the nickname of gambler Jack (George Eads). He's up to his neck in debt when a chance meeting with the wealthy Duffy (Stephen Lang) presents him with a chance to make a lot of easy money. Too easy. He soon finds himself immersed in a set-up involving money and power, one that's almost as addictive as gambling, but far more dangerous.

This looks like a Steven Seagal movie: his face dominates the poster and, while he's not given top billing, he's very high up the pecking order, yet he only appears in a handful of scenes - and that's probably no bad thing as he's deeply unconvincing as a gang boss. Vinnie Jones isn't much more visible and, as ever, he's playing a heavy. No, this is very much George Eads' film and he's obviously invested a lot in the project as he's one of the Executive Producers as well. As far as his acting's concerned, he delivers a decent performance with a likeable, roguish charm. The film would have been far less watchable without him.

As a film, though, it's full of glaring inconsistencies, cheap short cuts and easy clichés. The aerial shots of Las Vegas are almost identical to the ones from CSI, so much so that they look like library footage, and the holes in the story are so obvious as to be distracting - like when Jack can't get his old Volvo to start (surely impossible?) and the next moment he's driving into the forecourt of Seagal's business. The car works fine from thereon… and there's plenty more where that came from! To make sure Jack has a back-story as well, he's given an ex-wife and young daughter who are given precious little to do.

5/10

Average

For his first post-CSI movie, George Eads has chosen a sub-noir story that holds together by the skin of its teeth. Success on TV doesn't always translate to success on the big screen. If that's what he's aiming at, he will need to up the stakes.