For the entire month of April, Cinefessions will be locked into The Asylum, reviewing films released by the famed studio. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday throughout April you will get another review on a film released by The Asylum. April’s podcast will also be devoted to films from The Asylum, and you can decide which three will be reviewed right here. Today, Chris decides if the critically-panned Jonah Hex is better than The Asylum counterpart, 6 Guns.
Title: 6 Guns (2010)
Inspired By: Jonah Hex (2010)
Director: Shane Van Dyke
Runtime: 95 minutes
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It’s one thing to mock a true blockbuster film like Transformers, but why mock a film like Jonah Hex? I guess you can never assume a film will be a blockbuster because Jonah Hex was a major flop. The Asylum took the chance that Jonah Hex would be a big hit, and “Mocked” it up with their film 6 Guns.
Selina Stevens hires a bounty hunter to teach her the art of shooting a gun after her family is murdered in front of her, and has she has her body ravaged by a dirty old man. It’s a pretty basic plot and takes a solid hour before reaching that point. However, it’s all about the characters, and while it isn’t going to win an Oscar for the script, the characters are developed enough to be likable.
Hot off the heels of Transmorphers 2 and Titanic 2, Shane Van Dyke directors this revenge western. He actually does a pretty good job here, and outside of terrible music choices during the big finale, the film has a good pace, and is well shot.
Sage Mears stars as Selina, and I’m surprised that she hasn’t done anything besides this film because she’s good here. Her facial expressions are spot-on during the more emotional moments. Barry Van Dyke, son of Dick van Dyke (they played father and son in Diagnosis Murder) plays our bounty hunter, and not only did I not recognize him but he’s solid here in a serious role.
The action scenes are very limited and probably the weakest part of the film. I’ll assume the budget was rather low because they shy away from the bullets actually hitting people, and us seeing the aftermath. Lots of quick shots back and forth take away fom the tension, but 6 Guns does a decent enough job in the action sequences.
6 Guns continues the trend of films from The Asylum not really being that bad, and once again this film is leagues better than Jonah Hex, the film it’s mocking. It isn’t perfect, and still lands squarely in the B-movie arena, but it’s at the higher end of that spectrum. Westerns are one of my least liked genres so for this to not only hold my attention, but also entertain me, is definitely saying something.
Chris was raised on horror films, which gave him a deep love for the genre, especially its most quirky and offbeat titles (like A Nightmare on Elm Street 2). This love quickly turned into an obsession for cinema in 1997, when he decided he needed to see every major theatrical release. Video games (JRPGs), reading (anything but fantasy), and reality television (Survivor) are just some of his other passions. He’s been with Cinefessions since 2013, and has been writing reviews all over the internet for the past twelve years.
