American Gun (2002)

A grief stricken man tries to solve the mystery of his daughter's murder with only a gun's serial number as a clue.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 7-SEP-2004
Media Type: DVD Product Description

COBURN'S FINAL SHOT

AMERICAN GUN offers the marvelous actor James Coburn in his last screen role. Director Alan Jacobs captures a surreaslistic atmosphere as he explores the trajectory of a gun that was used in the killing of Coburn's daughter (a pre-Sideways Virginia Madsen). Jacobs cleverly dispenses clues as to this gun's path, but the viewer is caught up in the tragic dilemma of Coburn, who wants to know how this gun reached the point of where it resulted in his daughter's death. Coburn is excellent in his performance, as is Masden in her understated delivery. Barbara Bain (Mission Impossible's Cinnamon Carter) adds some level headed credibility in the role of Coburn's wife, and Alexandra Holden is very good as Masden's wayward daughter.
I must admit I didn't see the ending coming, but if one thinks back to Jacobs' clever manipulation, you can see how it ends up this way.
At times depressing and fatalistic, there is a warmth and a lot of familial integrity shown in this well made indie. September 26, 2005

American Gun is more than just a few plot twists....

Just when I think I have seen all the films that could possibly leave me vulnerable, I find this under-rated and powerful DVD. I watched this on Showtime the other evening and it left me in that "wow" fog a good movie can leave behind.

If you start watching AMERICAN GUN and are tempted to stop because Virginia Madsen apparently leaves the storyline early, don't! Not only is her character crucial to the overall plot, James Coburn knocks you out cold with his caring, but angry-at-the-world-and-himself portrayal of a father who loses a family member to a fatal gunshot.

I hesitate to describe too much of the plot since there are unexpected turns and twists that shouldn't be revealed, but I can elaborate on the style and lovely quietness of AMERICAN GUN. Maybe "quiet" isn't the whole truth since various gunshots explode throughout the movie as James Coburn explores the history of one gun that has traveled through many different hands. The loudness is also there when he looks back at his own experiences with ammunition in war.

AMERICAN GUN hit me so hard because it is an emotional film more than anything else. At first it seems to be about how a husband and wife each handle grief differently or how one man is determined to find his daughter's killer. In a way, that could sum it up, but there's also a lot about closure and what we think we see versus what is actually there.

The reason this indie deserves more acclaim is because it takes you places you don't expect to go and you are able to experience that great mental process called "thinking." Watch this by yourself--or better yet, rent it with a group of friends who truly enjoy discussing (but not talking to death) a great work of art.

On a side note: The whole cast is just spectacular (a small role by Alexandra Holden will get you a bit teary-eyed), but Coburn and Madsen shine. April 24, 2005

Moral Discussion With Plenty of Complexity

_American Gun_ seems to set people off in two distinct directions: either you love it's subtle anti-firearms message or you run screaming for the hills and feel like the movie falls apart in the last fifteen minutes. Regardless of my own political/moral views concerning guns, I was pulled into this film by two aspects. First, the story was a fresh one and did not (for most of the film) descend into a well-traveled plot. The idea of tracing a gun's history, letting the owner's lives and experiences tell the story of self-defense and homicide, is an original one that made the movie fresh and exciting. This device, the gun, also provided a source for constant change in the movie and kept the movie afloat on its current. The second thing that pulled me in is the powerful final performance of James Coburn, an actor who always succeeds at playing his parts with style, grace, and a deft control of the character. Coburn manages to communicate the pain of a man who loses his daughter to an act of gun violence. His ability to remain strong, shutting out those around him while privately grieving for his daughter, honestly connects up to my experiences of strong men of the old guard. James Coburn was a wonderful actor and _American Gun_ is a fine film to cap one's career.

As to the final section of the film, I do not agree with those who believe the film falls apart or becomes unravelled. I enjoyed the sudden twist of the final few moments (though I can't say it was completely unexpected) and thought that it gave the film a final powerful blow. Rather than depict the lives of saints who are completely sympathetic and understandable, director Alan Jacobs decided to portray real characters-complete with moral ambiguity and problems. If you enjoy smaller films and will not be completely chaffed by a subtle movie that explores the issues concerning the Second Amendment, you should check out _American Gun_ . While it may not be the best thing you've seen in years, it is a fresh film, with a fresh outlook, that guarantees to entertain.
October 25, 2004

good movie

This movie is about a man played by James Coburn, who is determined to find out the origins of the gun that killed his daughter. He tracks its history and finds out it has been all around the United States and has been used for both good and bad reasons. Very interesting twist at the end. Definitely a good movie. July 4, 2004

Wow

James Coburn's very last movie and probably one of his best ever.

In the Christmas Eve, his daughter gets shot to death, and the only thing that consoles him in those difficult times is taking a journey to trace the owners of the gun who killed his lovely daughter.

It's one of the best thrillers I've ever seen but also one of the worst as the screen-writer made an enormous error that will leave you deceived when the movie is over. June 8, 2004

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