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Sun, 04/06/2008 10:44 AM | Entertainment

ADPARA>Shoot *Em Up (Action/Comedy, 80 minutes. Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci. Written and directed by Michael Davis. In English with Indonesian subtitles. Playing at Blitz Megaplex and 21 Cineplex)

A mysterious stranger, Smith (Owen), witnesses a heavily-pregnant woman being chased by armed thugs. Compelled to intervene, Smith soon finds himself protecting the woman's newborn baby from criminals who have some very nasty reasons for wanting to get hold of him. Smith enlists the help of a friend, Donna -- a sex worker who has recently given birth, and thus is able to play wet nurse to the baby. Of course she's just as incapable as Smith as remaining indifferent to the little tyke's fate.

Clive Owen, using his own accent for a change, proves surprisingly adept at this sort of silliness, making even some of the more lame lines seem cool. Paul Giametti is an intelligent villain, explaining patiently to his henchman when they get things wrong but never hesitating if someone really needs, for instance, all their fingers broken. Donna may be a hooker with a heart of gold, but she's no dumb bimbo as played by Monica Belucci.

The visual style is sharp and the editing snappy, so that if there's a moment or two that seems a bit iffy -- Smith's habit of munching on a carrot and occasionally skewering people with it didn't do much for me -- you don't have time to worry about it. Shoot *Em Up moves at a cracking pace and features, as the title promises, a lot of crazy gunplay, with the hero's expertise with firearms second only to his irritation with most of the human race. It's an enjoyable ride, providing a fresh take on well-worn territory.

***1/2 (out of *****)

Flood (Action/Drama, 110 minutes. Robert Carlyle, Jessalyn Gilsig, Joanne Whalley. Written by Justin Bodle, Matthew Cope, Nick Morley, from the novel by Richard Doyle. Directed Tony Mitchell. In English with Indonesian subtitles. Playing at Blitz Megaplex and 21 Cineplex)

Based on a 2002 novel dealing with the possible failure of the Thames barrier, this story deals with a looming calamity -- the barrier is overwhelmed by a combination of storm conditions and high seas and much of London is set to be engulfed. In the best disaster movie tradition, we see events through the eyes of just a couple of characters even as millions more are at risk. There's controversial Professor Morrison (Courtenay), his estranged son, marine engineer Rob (Carlyle), and Rob's ex wife Sam (Gilsig). They must battle to save the city and, naturally, resolve a few personal issues along the way. Meanwhile, Joanne Whalley, as the Head of Scotland Yard, ranges convincingly from public figure to vulnerable human being as she weighs up the options, knowing that her own daughters are missing.

The computer-generated shots of London are compelling -- it's not hard to imagine something like this happening -- but the film fascinates less for its predictable love scenes as for the tense dialogue interchange between meteorological experts and politicians as they struggle to make sense of a "once in a thousand years" storm.

The politicians' gripe is the total failure to project such an event, leaving them with just three hours to evacuate. As with the tsunami in Indonesia and the hurricane in New Orleans, law-makers grapple with the need to curtail civil liberties for the common good. At the very least, Flood should give people in high places something to think about. *** (out of *****)

-- Briony Kidd

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