With a gun in one hand and a baby in the other, Clive Owen indeed shot them up. Although Shoot 'Em Up seemed similar to Children of Men, Owen's most recent character differs in one fundamental way: he is not afraid to shoot. Owen stars as Smith, a no-name, no-information-necessary tough guy who takes upon himself the burden of protecting an orphaned baby he himself delivers. Shoot 'Em Up opens with Owen sitting alone, waiting for the bus at night. There is no expression on his dirty face, nor any noise on the city street. He does nothing but stare straight at the camera before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a carrot. He takes one loud bite and the movie begins. A crying pregnant woman runs by and turns the corner into a shady alleyway. Moments later a man with a gun chases after him, screaming and threatening him all the way. A silent Clive Owen gets off the bench and with no particular motivation or urgency strolls after him. Unarmed, he follows them into an abandoned warehouse and arrives just in time to grab the man, and, making do with what he has, stab him with the carrot. This is the first of quite a few carrot-induced deaths throughout the film.

Owen delivers the baby, but fails to protect the mother from a continuous flow of hitmen sent into the warehouse. At the end of the line strolls Paul Giamatti, the mastermind of the operation and the Elmer Fudd to Owen's Bugs Bunny. For 80 minutes more, Giamatti hunts the carrot-eating Owen, but always comes up one step and 50 dead henchmen behind. With the help of prostitute friend Monica Belluci, Owen protects the baby, Oliver, avoids Giamatti and eventually uncovers the motives in play for what becomes a political scandal. While the plot is not to be remembered, the over the top action scenes most certainly are.

Clive Owen comes straight from the Jack Bauer school of marksmanship, where once you graduate, you never miss again. Owen delivers a baby, skydives and has sex all in the middle of gun slinging with hordes of Giamatti's assassins. Shoot 'Em Up is what Smokin' Aces should have been: violently entertaining with a sarcastic and mocking tone. Character development and plot are irrelevant while purposefully bad one-liners are as memorable as the deaths they follow. The acting and writing are condescendingly bad, while Clive Owen is once again nothing but cool.

Owen's greatest strength in this film lies in his nationality. What better way to mock the American action hero then to have him be played by one of our oldest rivals, a Brit? From Sin City to Inside Man and now Shoot 'Em Up, Clive Owen has taken over as Hollywood's coolest actor. Always calm and in control, Owen adds his English touch to the role of the American movie star. He is a thinker first and a killer second, never onscreen without an idea or a way out. He never plays a character you wouldn't want to be, and no matter how scruffy or sloppy he may look he is always the best-looking guy on scene.

Shoot 'Em Up is a fun movie. It's too short to drag on and too action-packed to bore. It shouldn't be considered a comedy, or even a parody, but don't go in expecting a straightforward action movie. It's a bullet-flying, blood-spilling, deadpan impersonation of American action, and a surprise end of summer success.