Writer-director Eric Blakeney tells the darkly comic tale of Charlie Mayough (Liam Neeson), an undercover DEA agent who narrowly escapes death at the hands of mobsters. He only wants to retire, but reluctantly agrees to close this last case. His stress leads him to group therapy, where he befriends a group of unhappy men who .. Read more
| Starring | Liam Neeson, Oliver Platt, Sandra Bullock, Andrew Lauer |
|---|---|
| Director | Eric Blakeney |
| Genres | Comedy |
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Writer-director Eric Blakeney tells the darkly comic tale of Charlie Mayough (Liam Neeson), an undercover DEA agent who narrowly escapes death at the hands of mobsters. He only wants to retire, but reluctantly agrees to close this last case. His stress leads him to group therapy, where he befriends a group of unhappy men who are dealing with their own, more mundane, job stress. Charlie also suffers from gastrointestinal problems, and while receiving a barium enema, he meets and falls for the quirky nurse (Sandra Bullock) who performs the unpleasant procedure. Meanwhile, his final case brings him into contact with Fulvio Nesstra (Oliver Platt, in an over-the-top comic performance), an insanely violent mobster with a surprisingly tender side. Fulvio's secret passion is his failing tomato garden. GUNSHY breaks down the typical undercover agent yarn to uncover its psychological, and sometimes scatological, roots. Blakeney takes the outline of a typical undercover agent drama (such as the superb DONNIE BRASCO) and adds a heavy dose of quirky humour. Platt is very funny and Bullock is charming as usual. Neeson delivers a strong performance that balances the wackiness of the script with just the right degree of gravity.
| Starring | Liam Neeson, Oliver Platt, Sandra Bullock, Andrew Lauer, Mitch Pileggi, Mary McCormack, Richard Schiff, Michael Weatherly, Jose Zuniga |
|---|---|
| Director | Eric Blakeney |
| Studio | LIONS GATE HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 37 mins Watch now: 1 hr 40 mins |
| Certificate | DVD: |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | DVD: English Watch Online: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 25 May 2001 Watch now: 10 Oct 2009 Production year: 2000 |
| Watch now | £2.49 |
| Format | DVD |
Beware the words pet and project: they usually indicate that the film in question is a disaster waiting to happen (think Kevin Costner's The Postman or John Travolta's Battlefield Earth). Sandra Bullock is to blame here, for it was she who decided she just had to make this uneven and almost humour-free comedy. Liam Neeson is woefully miscast as an undercover agent who is suffering from nerves and a very dodgy stomach, leading him to seek bowel advice from a nurse (Bullock). The movie's only saving grace is Oliver Platt (surely one of the funniest actors in movies today) as the Mafia hood Neeson is supposed to be bringing to justice. But even he can't stop this from hurtling towards the bin marked avoid.
A farce in which the humour depends upon inverting stereotypical characterisations of Colombian cocaine dealers, gangsters and tough agents; its tone is too genial to encompass its occasional lurches into violence.
I would say more gun happy than gun shy. Liam Nieson (Star wars Episode 1) looks uncomfortable and lost in his role and the rest of the cast look uncomfortable in their roles. It's only saved by the ever cooky Bullock (Speed) but wasted totally here - even if she was involved in the production. worth a miss! contains frequent strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and some strong violence.
Two great actors, Sandra Bullock and Liam Neesson take you through some twists and turns in this romantic comedy/cop story. It doesn't automatically make sense but is always convincing. Plenty of action.