Can we talk about Guns Akimbo? (spoilers)

I liked it for the things it tried to be as much as I disliked it for the things it tried (and/or failed) to avoid.

You have movies like John Wick where what looks like a reasonable person goes on murdering hundreds of people and seems to 1) never suffer mentally for it and 2) doesn't think twice about it. Then you have movies like the opening half of Guns Akimbo where Miles is desperately trying to avoid shooting anyone and when he does finally hit someone, comes away disturbed. I thought the first half of this, given the ridiculous scenario, was at least close to reasonable. The narrator in the movie explains what cliches the movie will avoid, namely "boy gets girl", "guns aren't loud at all" (totally ignored), "we at least won't be starting out with the main character going on a murderous rampage" and "pain is nothing" (forgotten within 20 minutes).

What really bothered me was how Miles started out realistic enough but by the end he's suddenly amazing with a gun and can kill dozens of people like he's just as crazy as Nix. It told you Miles wouldn't be winning anyone's love but it felt really forced.

One of the key early scenes for Miles' characterization for me was when an explosion happens as Nix is chasing him. Miles, prepared to shoot Nix -- though still conflicted about it -- makes up his mind as he sees her generally frightened and simply runs away. I loved this scene for the simple fact that it struck me as generally realistic in a genre of so many movies where the main character might have taken a shot a few times and missed/didn't hit fatally/shot and then jolted the target out of their fear and gotten chased away. It showed Miles isn't the typical genre shooter hero. It also quickly showed a characterization of Nix.

The first minor but reasonable change in Miles begins to happen when Miles confronts his overzealous boss. I don't think someone would be quite that overtly belligerent but Miles responds pretty much how you'd expect, assuming someone would be that dumb: by pointing the guns bolted to his hands at him and yelling back. The scene ends in characteristically over-the-top fashion, with Nix putting a bullet in said boss' head.

It really isn't until after Miles winds up interrupting a drug deal and shooting someone in the neck to save himself that it basically becomes John Wick, whereas up until that point it was Nix Wick.

Miles casually shoots two guys in the head coming out of the body bag (which was pretty funny, following their exchange), but I still don't think the drastic change was that earned. Then, Nix and Miles kill probably dozens of bad guys, with Nix getting stopped by the one dude with the hammer, even though earlier in the movie she was seen taking out a room full of guys without getting hit.

At this point the movie has successfully destroyed the Miles half of the Nix explosion scene.

Drugs or no drugs, it felt more like the movie just wanted a scene to justify Nix blowing herself up by damaging her so severely. By the time that scene arrives, in my opinion it just felt wrong. It could have just as easily kept Nix a little longer and used her death while fighting Riktor later on.

1. Have Riktor kill her in front of Nova to justify Miles killing him so Nova's reaction wouldn't be so severe. This gives the movie a mild moral compass by showing violence can sometimes be justified.

2. Show Miles was starting to like Nix and have him kill Riktor slightly more aggressively/pointedly as a direct response to her death, all of which better justifies Nova's recoil. This pretty much keeps the existing tone.

And now we successfully turned the main character into the typical genre shooter hero, successfully subverted the "boy gets girl" by forcibly taking them both away and successfully gave Miles superhuman tolerance to pain and gun shot damage. Remember, the movie points out guns are loud but conveniently points out that guns can also cause limbs to become useless. As much as it tried for realism, by the time it gets to the end, it fails to keep that promise.

Overall, I vaguely enjoyed the movie and kinda hope for a sequel (it was clearly set up) but for just as much as the movie tried to avoid cliches, it fell for one or two of them anyway and for the ones it still avoided, in the end I don't think it fit snug enough.

I just think the whole thing could have gone a little smoother if the final change in Miles was saved for Riktor's death. They probably could have pulled a little more comedy out of it. I'm picturing Nix trying to pull the trigger on Miles' guns as he's still too afraid to shoot them and how ridiculous it would look. You could also argue Nova still has some affection for Miles because of the comic book.