Synopsis
Directed by Collin Schiffli, Die in a Gunfight is a romantic action-crime film that has been released in the year 2021. The film aims to reinterpret the Shakespearean classic Romeo and Juliet in the form of an archetype, modern dystopian satire that mixes romance with violence. Family feuds, tabloid culture, and existential nihilism form the world of the situation, almost serving a parody of modern society and its values. The movie highlights the concepts of love, rebellion against the societal structures, and the destinies that people are bound to.
The stars of the movie are two ‘ghis life’ lovers: Mary Rathcart and Ben Gibbon. It also featured Diego Boneta as Ben, who plays the role of an All-American son from a wealthy family that has an equally wealthy reputation for being troublemakers. Like any other failure, he is bored out of his mind by life and loathes his privilege, something that fuels his chaos, and is a running theme in people from such social backgrounds. This ‘racket’ of sorts takes the form of street fights, constant drinking, rise in vandalism, and numerous other dangerous antics for the sake of rebellion. But at the core of this explosion of self-hatred is a permanently emotional mark—his separation from Mary, the childhood sweetheart brutally torn from him years ago.
Raised in the rival ‘Rathcart’ family, Mary Rathcart is played by Alexandra Daddario. Mary is an equally sharp, powerful, beautiful, and rebellious young woman. William Rathcart, her father, is a controlling media tycoon who, upon discovering her forbidden relationship with Ben, sent her overseas, orchestrating her separation from him.
The story kicks off a few years later. Ben is full of rage and directionless, while guess what, Mary’s techie working class daughter is still being stifled by her father’s controlling nature. Learning that Mary is back in her old New York City haunt reignites Ben’s desires. This time he’s motivated to actually track her down and fix things, and what follows is a chaotic spiral of deception, action, and extreme betrayal.
Their first meeting after so many years brings back all the family feuds they were previously distant from. The Gibbons and Rathcarts rivalry gets the firejun in their ancestral cold war hot and juicy once again. The antagonistic undercurrent of the story, filled with Terrence Uberahl (Justin Chatwin), as a professionally insane elite soldier loyal to the Rathcarts. Uberahl’s secret obsession with Mary makes this a thousand times worse; his job is to ensure Mary never comes close to Ben, a task he does with disturbing enthusiasm fueled by a personal grudge.
Surrounding the greater turmoil are supporting characters such as Wayne and Barbie, portrayed by Travis Fimmel and Emmanuelle Chriqui respectively—two renegade mercenaries operating in the amorally nuanced bounds of the criminal underworld. The secondary characters have their own storylines, and in the process of dealing with the major ones, they give rise to plenty of dark humor and unexpected shifts in the plot.
The movie reaches its peak with a spectacular sequence of battles. At the heart of the struggle is the attempt by Ben and Mary to disentangle themselves from their families and Uberahl’s sociopathy—or manic laughter—in what they envision to be a fight for love. As the title suggests, die in a gunfight never shies away from blood, and as expected, the ending comprises of a stylized series of shootouts (or romantic declarations), and tragic resolutions.
Cast & Crew
Diego Boneta as Ben Gibbon – “I loved Ben in particular because he represented the kind of disillusioned romantic with a punk-rock attitude,” Boneta said. In all fairness, his portrayal of the character’s frustration and anger exacerbated by privilege and passion, violence and vulnerability, does fuel the argument.
Alexandra Daddario as Mary Rathcart – “Mary is strong and sensitive at the same time,” Daddario said in defense of the somewhat one-dimensional figure. Despite the fact that sometimes she does go full-on ‘damsel in distress,’ Daddario granted agency and emotional depth.
Justin Chatwin as Terrence Uberahl – Uberahl is a scene-stealer to Chatwin: equal parts charming, unhinged, and creepy. He is the kind of a villain you laugh at one minute and recoil from the next.
Travis Fimmel as Wayne – Fimmel’s portrayal of Wayne showcases a grounded yet quirky energy from the intense roles he is known for. This adds unpredictability and humor to the film’s darker moments.
Emmanuelle Chriqui as Barbie – Chriqui uses her charm to play Wayne’s partner and Barbie, adding dimension and sarcasm to a character trapped in a veritable crime syndicate.
Director: Collin Schiffli – Schiffli executes the film with aesthetic flair for telling stories at a rapid pace. He leans heavily towards visual stylization, employing comic-bookish transitions, slo-mo, and voiceovers.
Writer: Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari – The screenplay tries to blend dark comedy with romantic tragedy using modern cynical Shakespearian motifs. While ambitious, the script’s tonal dissonance and sometimes clunky dialogue has made it controversial.
Narrator: Billy Crudup – Crudup serves as the film’s narrator, giving voice to an omniscient voice that adds humorous and critical insight. The narration frequently breaks the fourth wall, crafting a stylized, fairytale-like tone.
IMDb Ratings & Critical Reception
Die in a Gunfight currently holds an IMDb rating of approximately 4.4 out of 10 which means the movie has a lukewarm reception at best. Critics have been split on the film for its attempt at style and narrative.
Most viewers seem to agree that the movie’s attempt at an edgy tone and aesthetic was distracting at best. Some even noted that it aggressively tried to capture the over-the-top energy exhibited in Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and Romeo + Juliet (1996) without any of the charm or cohesion that made those films work. The characters, though interesting in theory, were panned for lacking development and being more driven by idiosyncrasies instead of emotional depth into which, they had to be woven to provide framework.
That said, many did appear to appreciate the film for its audacity. Stylish framing of the film alongside the brisk pace of editing and the commitment to a particular vision of the film was praised by some. The supporting performances, particularly those by Justin Chatwin and Travis Fimmel, were often commented on as delightful and as a result bold.
Although the film was critiqued in numerous aspects, on its release Die in a Gunfight did acquire a select audience who enjoyed the film’s modern take on a timeless romantic tragedy. Offbeat lovers of violence will undoubtedly enjoy the film as they are offered a stylistic glimpse into a world where love and bullets are equally lethal.
Conclusion
Captured in its unique essence, Die in a Gunfight remains both an ambitious and a polarizing film that attempts to reimagine Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as a hyper-modern action-filled satire. Balancing on the edge of style with substance, the movie still manages to stand out with its endless energy, visual flair, and unmatched cinematic experience which succeeds in leaving a lasting impression, albeit an uneven one.
Bolt, a character aching for revenge, pulls us deeper into the plot, which reiterates the extremes one goes to for love, exploring the boundaries of passion and how deeply betrayal can run. Die in a Gunfight, say some, is stylized dissonance at its finest, while others call it a lost misunderstood gem, true to its essence in every shot. Championing this contradiction, the film attains new heights in romantic thrillerism.
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