Guns Akimbo is quite possibly the weirdest action movie of the 2010s, and although it wasn’t appreciated at the time of its release, we can see the film becoming a cult classic in the future. Released in 2019, Guns Akimbo follows computer programmer Miles Harris as he is forced to become a contestant in a live-streamed underground fight club.
Starring in the lead role, Guns Akimbo is among one of the many strange movies where Daniel Radcliffe shows off his range, straying further from his Harry Potter roots. Unfortunately, despite Radcliffe’s appearance, Guns Akimbo was a critical and commercial failure for numerous reasons. However, the film has all the hallmarks of a cult classic movie 10 years from now.
Guns Akimbo Deserves To Become A Cult Classic Action Movie In Future Years
Daniel Radcliffe’s Wacky Movie Was Underappreciated
Following Daniel Radcliffe as an action movie hero who is in far over his head, Guns Akimbo is a brilliantly fun movie which features a wacky plot, comical violence, layered with social commentary. With a 64% Popcornmeter, Guns Akimbo doesn’t have fantastic ratings, but was more favored by audiences than critics, who rated the film a 55% on Rotten Tomatoes.
As a result, Guns Akimbo is certainly one of Daniel Radcliffe’s lesser-known movies, yet, it proves its quality as an entertaining violent comedy with a deeper message. However, more importantly, the film wasn’t that appreciated at the time of its release, being a critical and commercial failure, meaning Guns Akimbo has all the elements of a future cult classic movie.
Why Guns Akimbo Wasn’t Appreciated More At The Time
Timing, Controversies & Too-Serious Reviews Let The Movie Down
Unfortunately, there were quite a few factors that affected Guns Akimbo’s reception. The main one at the time was COVID-19. After debuting at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, the film was released theatrically in early 2020. However, the pandemic closed theaters globally, and Guns Akimbo was suddenly moved to a digital release just weeks later, earning just $1 million.
Alongside the sudden unplanned change in release format, the movie was also overshadowed by controversies. Guns Akimbo director Jason Lei Howden was involved in a controversial Twitter dispute (now X), in which he accused a group of people of cyberbullying and attacking a film critic, calling it “attempted murder.” At one point, Howden even used the Guns Akimbo official account.
the overly dramatic violence seemed to overshadow any deeper meaningful message for a lot of viewers
With Guns Akimbo gaining a bad reputation from the director’s behavior, and COVID-19 affecting marketing plans, the movie was already somewhat doomed. However, reception to Guns Akimbo was also poor as people didn’t really understand what the film was trying to do, claiming that the overly dramatic violence seemed to overshadow any meaningful message for a lot of viewers.
That being said, the movie now receives a lot more love years after its release. Without the pressure to perform well at the box office or on-demand, and with Howden’s controversies out of the limelight, audiences are appreciating Guns Akimbo for what it is – an outrageously entertaining action comedy – and it is slowly edging towards cult classic status.
