Guns Up has all the ingredients of a solid crime thriller – mob families, betrayal, a “one last job” setup, and a family caught in the middle. Unfortunately, it never really rises above being a collage of tropes we’ve already seen a hundred times.
Kevin James does his best as Ray Hayes, bringing surprising warmth and understated humour to the role of a mob henchman trying to get out of the life. His chemistry with Christina Ricci (playing his wife, Alice) feels genuine, and the family dynamic between them and their kids comes across as sweet without being too heavy-handed. Ricci, in particular, is a refreshing presence early on, playing against the usual “resentful spouse” archetype we see too often in similar fare. Luis Guzman also stands out as Ignatius, the perceptive second-in-command, though his storyline ultimately falls prey to confusing twists.
The problem is that the film never knows what it wants to be. The slick opening and fun soundtrack promise something stylish, but the action sequences are dull (bar one, late in the film), the big shootouts lack punch, and the emotional beats are rushed past as if the movie is too impatient to let them land. Attempts at reversals and betrayals quickly pile up until motivations become muddy, and Timothy V. Murphy’s villainous turn as mob boss Lonny Costigan feels cartoonish at best.
By the time Alice suddenly morphs into a stab-happy action heroine, the film has lost any real emotional grounding. What could have been an engaging crime drama with comedic edges becomes a predictable mashup of genre clichés, offering little that feels fresh.
At just over 90 minutes, Guns Up still manages to drag, never committing to either heartfelt family drama or pulpy, over-the-top violence. It’s watchable, and James and Ricci are better than the material deserves, but it’s ultimately the kind of movie you’d forget as soon as the credits roll.