Star-crossed lover’s stories, especially with a criminal undertow, have the potential to be something special. Die in a Gunfight stars Alexandra Daddario as Mary Rathcart, a daddy’s rich girl who happened to fall for the wrong guy. That fellow happens to be a part of the Capulets to her Montagues and to say that their disgust for each other is palpable is a quaint observation.
After all, Mary was sent to Paris to get away from Ben Gibbon (Diego Boneto) and all she did was get into more trouble and get summoned home. When the two lock eyes at her father’s, William Rathcart (John Ralson), party after she returns from Paris, one can feel that seismic attraction and unmistakable at the core love that knows not of their families vicious quibbles.
The two are as irresistible as their father’s disdain for each other. What’s a couple of 20-somethings to do? Well, thanks to an incredible twist of fate, Ben has Mukul (Wade Allain-Marcus) a man who owes Ben his life and despite the chaos of his pal’s life, he is right there with him through and through. Yes, that includes his undeniable attraction and adoration of Mary.
At its heart, Die in a Gunfight is the ultimate romance movie, told through the lens of a graphic novel where there is even a tinge of a vibe of Bonnie and Clyde. It reminds me of True Romance but doesn’t pack nearly the verbal volleys or the deep characters across the human spectrum that Quentin Tarantino’s script and Tony Scott’s direction provided. This film is much simpler and probably doesn’t aspire to be much else.
The vivacious voltage between Daddario and Boneta makes their attraction and willingness to throw everything they know and possess away for the sake of that elusive emotion known as love completely and utterly electrifying.
Meanwhile, there is Travis Fimmel’s Wayne, a “gangster” with a blinding love for Barbie (Entourage’s Emmanuelle Chriqui). Things happen to him over the course of Die in a Gunfight that would have most cinematic characters calling it a day. Yet, through Fimmel’s fierce determination and humanizing performance, his Wayne not only provides an integral moment in the film itself but elicits much of the outside the romantic charm.
The best aspect of their entire film, directed by Collin Schiffli, is the narration of Billy Crudup (The Morning Show, Almost Famous). Rarely has a narration been so fully fleshed out and provided a character all its own that is as three-dimensional as Ben and Mary or any of the others who circle their orbit. The manner with which he delivers his voice-over is simply stunning, captivating, and pricelessly aids in the overall forward movement of the plot. Plus, Crudup frames this story with a human, relatable, sense that would normally be missing from a crime/beyond rich landscape where these characters reside.
He emphatically, from the opening moments of the film, draws us in keeps our interest and attention throughout and adds layers to its entertainment worth and cinematic value.
Grade: B