Film

Gun Shy

Name: Gun Shy
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Released: 2017
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Olga Kurylenko, Mark Valley, Martin Dingle Wall, Ben Cura

Action

A breezy action-comedy about an aging rock star dragged into a rescue mission after his supermodel wife is kidnapped in Chile. Antonio Banderas leads with charm and self-aware humor, trading on his action-hero credibility to play a man who's more talk than tactics. It's the kind of film that doesn't take itself seriously and asks the same of you.

TMDb rating

2.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy scrappy, slightly shabby caper comedies where an aging star's bluster keeps colliding with real danger, and you're happy to laugh at the mess.

Skip it if you want tight plotting or a consistent tone, since this one is loose, broad and happy to lurch between slapstick and menace without much apology.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a brisk ninety-one minutes that keep moving, asking you to go along with its silliness and keep up with its quick changes of gear.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Crocodile Dundee1986

Fish-out-of-water adventure with genuine charm and humor. Mick Dundee's resourcefulness and wit in unfamiliar situations mirrors Turk's bumbling charm, and both films find comedy in the clash of worlds.

But The tone is resolutely light; if you want grounded tension or real jeopardy, this isn't it.

Romancing the Stone1984

Adventure-romance-comedy that nails the balance Gun Shy is aiming for. Action serves the character dynamics, not the reverse. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner have the kind of effortless rapport that makes mishaps feel earned rather than tired.

But The pacing assumes you're happy to linger on character moments; impatient viewers will feel the runtime.

¡Three Amigos!1986

Three lovable incompetents rescue a village from bandits. Chevy Chase, Steve Martin and Martin Short prove that action films work when the lead characters are charmingly unqualified for what they're attempting.

But The humor is sketch-comedy broad; it won't appeal if you prefer subtlety or deadpan delivery.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Gun Shy

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Mr. Majestyk1974

Both films ask: what happens when an ordinary man (even if he's a rock star) is yanked into a crime scenario he's utterly unequipped for? Gun Shy plays it for laughs; Majestyk plays it straight. Watching both shows how tone is everything.

Charles Bronson as a watermelon farmer forced into crime. Dead-serious execution of an absurd premise. The film never winks—it plays the ridiculous setup with complete conviction, finding genuine tension and humor in the contrast between genre and subject.

But It's 1970s spare and grounded; if you're expecting cartoonish action or fast pacing, the deliberate rhythm will feel slow.

Midnight Run1988

A bounty hunter and a fugitive forced together, bickering and bonding across the country. The warmth between leads and the refusal to let action overwhelm character comedy are exactly what Gun Shy is reaching for.

But Over two hours for what is essentially a buddy-comedy premise; the runtime occasionally sags in the middle.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.2015

Slick, funny, and genuinely entertaining without punching down. Guy Ritchie's style serves the comedy, not smothers it. Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer have the kind of chemistry that makes every scene hum.

But The plot is genuinely secondary; if you need story momentum to stay engaged, you'll notice the wheel-spinning.

Stakeout1987

Emilio Estevez and Richard Dreyfuss as mismatched cops on a surveillance job. Warm-hearted, funny, and surprisingly touching. The film trusts that character and humor can carry you further than action.

But Very much a product of its time; the style and sensibility may feel dated to modern viewers.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid1969

Outlaws on the run, playing charming rogues even when the situation darkens. Paul Newman and Robert Redford's chemistry and the film's refusal to be grim set the template for action-comedies.

But The pacing is deliberate and the humor is often quiet; it's not kinetic in the way modern action comedies tend to be.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid poster

The Pink Panther1963

Peter Sellers as an incompetent detective solving a heist. Pure comedic genius in the service of chaos. If Gun Shy is aiming for 'well-meaning chaos,' this is the high-water mark.

But The humor is entirely situational; if slapstick isn't your language, you'll find it exhausting rather than funny.

Johnny English2003

Rowan Atkinson as a bumbling spy saving the day despite himself. Gleefully silly, well-crafted action that never forgets it's a comedy. A spiritual cousin to Gun Shy's everything-goes-hilariously-wrong approach.

But The plot is tissue-thin; it exists only to justify the next comedic set-piece, which some viewers find empty.

The Guard2011

Both are action-thrillers that refuse to be grim, using humor as a survival strategy rather than relief. Both trust the audience to hold two contradictory tones at once.

Brendan Gleeson as an Irish policeman who teams with an FBI agent to catch assassins. Brutally funny, smartly written, and completely surprising. The humor is earned through character and situation, not forced. An underrated gem.

But It's a genre film with real violence and darkness; the tonal shifts between comedy and threat might feel uneven if you're expecting consistency.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang2005

Both are caper-comedies where the pleasure is in the telling, not just the plot. Both understand that charm and incompetence are funnier than competence, and that the best action-comedies are about people, not physics.

Robert Downey Jr. as a thief pulled into a murder investigation in Hollywood. Wildly inventive, self-aware comedy wrapped around genuine mystery and character work. Shane Black is a master of making chaos feel effortless.

But The structure is deliberately convoluted and the narration intrusive; if you prefer straightforward storytelling, this will feel show-offy and exhausting.