Bill’s Gun Shop
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C Film: C
Dean Lincoln Hyers was on the right track in the beginning
with his film Bill’s Gun Shop, a film about a young man (John Ashton)
who becomes obsessed with guns and films.
Unfortunately, it drops the films too quickly and gets caught up in a
pedestrian tale of prejudice, loneliness, anger, isolation and
self-destruction. Rob Nilsson’s
screenplay just can’t seem to get the story together, meaning the film is not Falling
Down or adds up to anything major, as it should have.
Instead it is a film in little bits and pieces that thinks
it is adding up to something, but referencing a few films and not knowing how
to follow up is very, very bad form and the directing lacks timing and
energy. The main character is having
this crisis about what it is to be or not be a man, but while he is uncertain,
the film has even less answers. Where
is the ambition or character study? Not
here. Better luck next time to all.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is soft and
color dull, with some good camerawork, but nothing particularly striking. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has no
surrounds, but is recorded well enough for an independent production. Extras include slide stills, audio
commentary by Hyers, trailer, cast/crew text, featurette and previews for other
Polychrome releases.
- Nicholas Sheffo
