American gun proves a cut above

American Gun stars James Coburn as a father, Martin Tillman, in search of answers after his daughter, Penny (Virginia Madsen) is shot dead.

He traces the history of the gun used in the killing from a woman who uses it to kill her kidnapper to an inner-city boy who kills his best friend and then commits suicide.

There’s a twist at the end that will catch many by surprise.

Throughout his life Martin has always been around guns; we are shown this via flashbacks to his childhood and his time as a WW1 soldier.

One war scene where a split-second decision leads to a friend’s death becomes more relevant as the film progresses. We are also shown how Martin met his wife Anne (Barbara Bain).

Back in the present, the couple’s daughter has split up from her abusive boyfriend, but her daughter Mia (Alexandra Holden) blames her for the break-up and has run away. Mia visits Martin who lends her some money. The events triggered by this fateful meeting aren’t fully explained until the end.

The film wasn’t meant to be a political rant against gun ownership, but it does highlight how ridiculously easy it is to buy guns, legally or illegally, in America and the fatal consequences.

This one stands head and shoulders above some of the rubbish littering video shop shelves at the moment, the performance of Coburn alone makes it worthwhile.

Action, 15. ****