Perfectly adorable

A different way of telling a story

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Not to be confused with the 2005 film "American Gun" starring Donald Sutherland and Forest Whitaker, the 2002 "American Gun" is a very fine drama that was written and directed by Alan Jacobs. I originally rented this fairly obscure little picture because it features Barbara Bain, one of my main gals of the '60s, in one of her too-rare screen appearances, but as it turns out, the film has lots more to offer besides her more-than-welcome presence. In it, she plays Anne Tillman, who lives in Vermont with her husband Martin (supremely well played by James Coburn, in his last film role), and whose daughter Penny (the lovely Virginia Madsen) is tragically gunned down during a Xmas visit. This sets the grieving Martin on a cross-country odyssey, using the gun's serial number, to learn the history of this weapon and to confront its owner. The viewer thus learns that the gun was once used to defend a kidnapped woman, was stolen from a medical student in NYC, and was used in a teenage revenge attack/suicide. The journey that Martin takes culminates in Las Vegas, where, in a brilliantly realized series of flashbacks, we see the deeper reasons for his grief, and all our nagging questions are resolved. It is a pretty devastating finale, I must say, and one that will doubtlessly leave most viewers gasping with astonishment. Jacobs, whose direction is sometimes flashy but whose script is fairly understated, is surely a talent to be reckoned with; I look forward to seeing more of his work. His "American Gun" is a picture that should be required viewing for all NRA members, as well as for all film lovers who want to see Coburn, here in the twilight of his days, flash that trademarked toothy grin one more time. In a film suffused with so much sadness, that grin looks all the brighter....

Coburn makes a graceful exit from the cinema in this thoughtful contemplation on the issue of gun control. He plays a rural father and grandfather whose semi-estranged daughter (Madsen) is shot to death right before Christmas. Wracked with grief and guilt, he sets out on a journey to trace the gun that killed her, ending up with it's last owner. Meanwhile, his wife Bain copes in her own way and his teenage granddaughter Holden flirts with disaster out on her own. The story is told in a way that flashes back to Coburn's own history with guns as a youth and that conceals certain details of the events in order to startle the viewer near the end. Coburn, who is visibly struggling with the pain of arthritis, is solid throughout. He is able to avoid the type of tacky swan song that so many stars wind up in during their autumn years (though he did do quite a few pieces of garbage during the middle of his career like "Looker" and the TV mini-series "Valley of the Dolls", to name only two!) It's refreshing to see him paired with an actress so close to his own age as his wife when, so often, male stars have spouses or girlfriends anywhere from 10 to 30 years younger than them. Bain, who is done no favors by the lighting here, gives a strong performance as well and is believable as his character's wife. Madsen does a fine job as the somewhat troubled daughter. This was done before her attention-getting work in "Sideways" and the film might have garnered a bit more attention had it been released after that. Holden is good in her role, though it's a bit difficult to swallow her transformation in character and appearance. The film isn't particularly believable at all times and is contrived and even pat, but it musters up enough interest and irony (and avoids being too preachy on it's subject) to remain entertaining.

I was really enjoying this film. It was nice to see James Colburn going out on a strong performance in a film that was well made, with interesting vignettes about the history of the gun. I thought he received good support from Virginia Madsen and Barbara Bain. Everything seemed to be going along quite well, and then came the big twist ending. I almost stopped the DVD of this as soon as I realized what direction this film was suddenly taking. But I had enjoyed it so much up to that point, I decided to gut it out, hoping I was wrong and that the filmmakers would NOT go in the direction they were heading. But alas, it was not to be. The ending alone was enough to lower my vote of this otherwise fine film from a 7 to a 5. Colburn was great in it however (but check out the size of this man's knuckles!!!) and worth seeing for any of his many fans.

James Coburn is an actor who has proven his worth by hislongivity. I have admired his work since I was a kid. My admirationcontinues. He was awesome in Affliction and no less awesome inAmerican Gun. This story is very inventive in its telling. It utilizes the device offlashback better than any film in recent memory. It has also,through its multiple story line, enabled to include in its cast avariety of minoroty actors and strong female roles. The issues thatare tackled are well examined. War, male rites of passage,father/daughter, parent/child relationships, faith and forgiveness toname a few. And it manages to not give away its ending. I highlyreccomend this film.