The Gun - Complete Series on DVD (2004)

RJNeb2 [Highly rated reviewer] , 14/05/2006

Six separate episodes all with a pearl-handled gun as the linking device. The stories vary in quality, none outstanding but most vaguely proficient. They are: James Gandolfini buying said gun for his lonely wife Rosanna Arquette, unaware that she's far from lonely while he's at work; a typical Robert Altman melange with would-be President Randy Quaid literally getting caught with his pants down; a lanquid and fairly pointless drama with Kirsten Dunst yearning to escape her small town life and hooking up with the local bad boy to do so; failed actor Daniel Stern accidentally finding himself a hero when he foils a robbery - the most comedic episode and the most interesting; journalist Fred Ward investigates the surprisingly tawdry life of his priest and father figure after his death; and retiring cop Martin Sheen investigates an insurance scam.

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

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Savage from London, England [Highly rated reviewer] , 20/06/2007

The presence of Robert Altman among the producers (plus he directed one of the six episodes) suggested that this might be better than the average television fodder - but it wasn't to be. For the most part, the stories are stupid and obvious, and the direction tired at best - Altman's own episode, about the sleazy shenanigans of a golf club president actually looks like someone doing a parody.

Two good ones, though: Daniel Stern in James Foley's episode about an actor stopping a gas station robbery and becoming a hero in the process, is fun, and only slightly spoiled by the twist ending. And Peter Horton's episode, 'Ricochet', with Martin Sheen as a retiring cop closing out his last case, which includes a death and a lottery scam, is very well written and tight - all the things that the rest aren't.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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A customer from Birmingham , 24/11/2005

Watched this because of James Gandolfini (I'm a Sopranos fan!), and he's excellent in this. Its not the best drama ever made, not quite in the league of The West Wing etc, but better than most UK dramas. The acting is great, its well made and directed, and the plot is not bad. There's a few surprise cameo appearances too. One to watch on a crap telly night, but don't expect to be too excited by it....

  1 out of 8 people found this review helpful

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Firethorn from Barnet [Highly rated reviewer] , 11/05/2005

I was attracted to this set by the apparent quality of the production and the casting. It looked rather impresive. Wrong. This is poor stuff. There was no real connection between these stories - just this gun. How it got from one to another who knows. Who cares? Of the bunch the first was probably the best, the second was appaling (I think it was a comedy). The third is passable (just), the fourth has a bit of a twist, the fifth is hopeless and I struggle to remember the sixth. What a waste.

  5 out of 18 people found this review helpful

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RJNeb2 [Highly rated reviewer] , 14/05/2006

Six separate episodes all with a pearl-handled gun as the linking device. The stories vary in quality, none outstanding but most vaguely proficient. They are: James Gandolfini buying said gun for his lonely wife Rosanna Arquette, unaware that she's far from lonely while he's at work; a typical Robert Altman melange with would-be President Randy Quaid literally getting caught with his pants down; a lanquid and fairly pointless drama with Kirsten Dunst yearning to escape her small town life and hooking up with the local bad boy to do so; failed actor Daniel Stern accidentally finding himself a hero when he foils a robbery - the most comedic episode and the most interesting; journalist Fred Ward investigates the surprisingly tawdry life of his priest and father figure after his death; and retiring cop Martin Sheen investigates an insurance scam.

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

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A customer from Birmingham , 24/11/2005

Watched this because of James Gandolfini (I'm a Sopranos fan!), and he's excellent in this. Its not the best drama ever made, not quite in the league of The West Wing etc, but better than most UK dramas. The acting is great, its well made and directed, and the plot is not bad. There's a few surprise cameo appearances too. One to watch on a crap telly night, but don't expect to be too excited by it....

  1 out of 8 people found this review helpful

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