Shrapnel City is home to an illegal internet death match competition run by Skizm. The current champion Nix (Samara Weaving) has been promised her freedom if she manages just one more kill. Her next challenger however is the mild mannered Miles (Daniel Radcliffe) who has had guns bolted to his hands by Riktor (Ned Dennehy), the insane leader of Skizm. 

Guns Akimbo is possibly one of the most bonkers of high concept action movies I have seen. It is unsentimental, brutally violent and features a villain and anti-hero who are so insane they would not be out of place in a Mad Max movie. 

From a story perspective there are minor efforts to discuss reality television and the anonymity of the internet but in the main it is about out there action done as stylishly as possible and the aesthetic is an interesting one. Set in a grimy, dark world that matches our villain the camera roves everywhere. It rolls 360 degrees, is set as a point of view, is attached to people and everything that can be thought of to stay as kinetic as possible. The tone of the film is as darkly comic as everything else though meaning it is not oppressive. The musical choices set to the violence is often very comical and the fact that Miles struggles to do anything as simple as dress himself thanks to the guns strapped to his hands is milked for comic effect as well. 

As for the key actors they all do a great job. Daniel Radcliffe who has always picked particularly kooky roles since his Harry Potter days fits right in here, whilst Samara Weaving steals the entire film as the criminally insane Nix. There is also an hilarious cameo from Rhys Darby as an insightful homeless man. 

All in all, if you want a fun action movie writer/director Jason Lei Howden’s sophomore movie hits the nail on the head.