Guns Akimbo: A senseless and convoluted mess

 Right from the get-go this movie turns heads. Not just with regard to its quirky title but also with the motif and the cast, needless to mention. What blew my mind away was the Uber cool departure of Daniel Radcliffe from the Harry Potter claim to fame and typecast persona. Yes we get it. Harry Potter did indeed make all of our childhoods but you seem to forget the fact that he is a 31 year old grown adult now. He is at complete liberty to choose any role he wants, desperate to rid himself from the shackles of hackneyed characters.

Now getting down to brass tacks. Guns Akimbo was a refreshing, new yet a disappointing take on cyber cries and cyber bullying. The story encapsulates the journey of a loser in the real world named Miles who is unhappy and dissatisfied with his video game designing job and "flips through the same three apps of his phone". He is a keyboard warrior used to hurl abuses and profanities at people.

This is also ironically during the wake of the steady growth of a  so-called Blue Whale inspired game that claims human lives in the most macabre ways possible. Running on a complete user-generated rating system and whatnot, Miles inadvertently stumbles upon the game and is not taken in by it and hurls his insults being completely oblivious to his fate.

The following morning he finds guns bolted to his hands and his girlfriend snatched away from him. The only way he can ave her from the throes of the kidnappers is to play the game, face an opponent in the process and realize his follies. This is the crux of the story. Pretty interesting and piquant ain't it?! That's not all. Turns out that all the players have to report to these scary looking characters straight out of Ripley's Believe it or not.

With humorous elements interspersed throughout the entirety of the movie, that was probably the only saving grace and of course Daniel Radcliffe himself. The gravitas and flair that he puts into bringing Miles with guns screwed into his hands are remarkably funny and awe-inspiring to say the least. The background score sucks big time. The side characters are inconsequential and obsolete. This cat and mouse seems to drearily go on and on until it comes to a close with the most ridiculous climax there is, probably even topping Game of Thrones(GOT to be honest.

Certain redeeming moments seem to be there, yes. Like trying to help your enemy in order to survive for the greater good. How will Miles gain a sense of closure by having these near-death experiences first hand? Will he defeat the arch nemesis of this violent, despicably grotesque game? Do give it a watch if you are willing to lose a couple of your brain cells, and for those fans who consider Daniel Radcliffe their dreamboat. That's about it for the movie. Makes no sense whatsoever.