Good Guy With A Gun is available on Digital and VOD from Freestyle Digital Media.
Some films with stories tethered to political undertones are able to maintain an identity ambiguous enough that the story can carry over to audiences without hitting viewers over the head. Others have the exact opposite effect, particularly in an age where conservative pundits are willing to step into the arena to produce whatever kind of unintended self-depricating schtick translates adequately on a screen to help manifest right-wing fantasies into palatable and appealing “cinema.” In my view, these are precisely what give movies like John Mossman’s latest, Good Guy With A Gun, purpose.
Mossman writes and directs a story that centers on Tessa (Tiffany Bedwell) and Will (Beck Nolan), a mother and son recovering from a few recent tramatic events in their lives. Driving miles away from their Chicago home to a rural town to oversee the refurbish of her late father-in-law’s home, it just so happens that the two are still mourning the death of Will’s father at the hands of an armed mugger. Their entry paves the way for a bit of a culture shock in a number of ways, although the biggest one is yet to take shape with Will being the most susceptible. It’s an aspect that underscores just how deep the fracture is between him and his mother, which the film eventually explores much later on as we meet more characters and the plot thickens.
That brings us to Will’s newfound friendship with Jonah (Jack Cain), which also serves an albeit perfect opportunity for Jack’s father, eccentric and endearing handyman Jerry (Ian Barford) to swoop in and offer Tessa a friendly hand. With Tessa otherwise busy and focused on fixing the house to make it marketable, Will is soon preoccupied with Jonah’s exclusive social circle, a small band of teens who typically enjoy backwood antics and shooting firearms at targets and beer cans. Unsure at first, Will is sooner accepted when he’s offered a chance to shoot his first rifle, further impressing his new peers with each shot, including the incorrigible Cade (David Stobbe).
As the days pass amid the few weeks she has, Tessa spends her time on the house while getting a just little more acquainted with Jerry. Meanwhile, Will’s world slowly begins to turn into something darker when Cade’s father, Duke (Dan Waller) and his shady, cutthroat cohort, Riggs (John Mossman) begin to show up to their meet-ups. What ensues is a harrowing journey for Will that finds him taking stock of just what it all means, forcing him to confront his pain and grief, as well as weigh the pros and cons of an existential conflict that surfaces in light of a more nefarious plot at the core of his new social circle.
This facet of Good Guy With A Gun is one that will have you on the edge of your seat well into the second half. It’s a crucial point that follows a well-paced simmer in the first half from early on as Will’s social networking in the new neighborhood brings up anything from talk of faith and religion, to guns and how political labels factor in, to sex and sexuality. These are brilliantly written and well-acted exchanges and sidebar developments that do these characters justice, making sufficient use of the film’s runtime and managing to stay the course without doling out story filler.
The role of Duke certainly contributes to Will’s transformation and growth, coupled with just a few recurring flashbacks which underscore his story as one of boyhood-to-manhood in a trial-by-(friendly) fire setting. To add, it’s also worth keeping an eye out for Mossman, who brings just the right amount antagonistic flair to balance things out. It’s a development anchored full well by the topical outlining of destruction, and what it looks like in numerous forms – The moment Tessa picks up a hammer in a fit of rage after a disconcerting phone call is just one other example of the film’s poetic devices in this regard; I also found it interesting how Mossman uses cars as a plot tool in this matter, and this goes back to that culture shock I mentioned earlier. More to the point, pay close attention to Jerry’s detached demeanor on subjects ranging from gun buys to age limits on beer purchases. To Jerry’s credit, however, this is less of a character assessment than a bookmark to refer back to in the film’s progression.
Encapsulating it all are the performances, among whom Nolan’s serves as an absolute standout in the lead. His is a range that fully conveys all of Will’s emotions, lending a sturdy performance to a tried and tested character who has no choice but to hold his own for most of the way; There is a scene in the film that also invokes a nuanced understanding and sharpness on Tessa’s behalf. Her concerns with Will’s goings-on notwithstanding, Tessa minds her own business for the better part of the duration, and never really knowing the full story. It’s when her intution kicks in that she’s at her sharpest, making her equally crucial as the film comes to a head.
Indeed, the allegorical notions about cars and guns and the use of tools are kind of unavoidable. The same could be iterated about the political nature of a film like Good Guy With A Gun, and not for nothing either. In crafting a heavy-handed tale that doesn’t shy away from controversy and tip toe around anyone’s fears of “wokeness” in its contorted wingnut framing, Mossman casts a heavy spotlight on the horrific cruces of a ideology, one provenly menacing when left alone with guns, and equally dangerous intentions.
Rewardingly, the film proffers up an unlikely hero – or several – without the self-aggrandizing and immediate need to cater to a certain audience. The intent here with Good Guy With A Gun is much more ubiquitous than that, making plenty use of the film’s subject matter to elevate its delivery as a compelling drama, and a gradually intensifying thriller with a sobering, and poignant cadence.
