The Wonderful World of DTV: Edward Drake's Guns Up (2025)

I must say, Kevin James: Action Star wasn’t exactly on my bucket list for this year, but that is exactly what we get with his recent outing, the violent crime thriller Guns Up (2025). To be fair, some of James’ previous features have involved some level of action, with the likes of Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009), Here Comes the Boom (2012) and especially  True Memoirs of an International Assassin (2016) showing James to be surprisingly physical. I suppose it helps that he had a background in Wrestling in his youth, with him proving to be quite flexible for a man of his build. 

Unlike those films mentioned, Guns Up isn’t really a comedy. Sure there are still some injections of humour here and there, the odd one liner, but for the most part the film is played straight. Those more accustomed to his King of Queens (1998) persona may be disappointed by James lack of humour, but he has proven previously to be quite the adept dramatic actor. One just has to look at his ice cold villainous turn in the awesome Becky (2020) for a perfect example of this. 

James' turn in Guns Up isn’t as dark as who he played in Becky, but the script still manages to take him to some dark places, with James bringing a personable, world weariness to his character. One of James’ winning factors is his sheer likeability, something that is pushed to the fore here. It also helps that he is partnered up with the always welcome Christina Ricci, who as James’ put upon wife is able to inject a bolt of electricity into proceedings. Ricci and James are so good in that film that they are able to raid Guns Up from what could have been an otherwise forgettable endeavour. 

It is certainly more memorable than the majority of director Edward Drake’s other movies. I don’t mean to cause offence, but Drake has been behind a shit ton of “geezer teasers”, most of which featured a failing Bruce Willis. Obviously at the time audiences were unaware of Willis’ health issues, so that must be taken into consideration when judging the overall quality of the film. Even so, other directors managed to make worthwhile movies with Willis at the time, with Jesse V. Johnson’s White Elephant (2022) springing instantly to mind.

Due to how disappointed I was with what I saw of Drake’s work, I must say I came away from Guns Up pleasantly surprised. Now we aren’t talking masterpiece here, as the film certainly still has its flaws, but for the most part Drake has put together an enjoyable action thriller that smartly puts the primary focus on its two leads. 

James plays Ray Hayes, a former cop who now works as an enforcer for the mob. With the criminal life taking its toll on Ray, he and his wife Alice (Christina Ricci) have decided to purchase a diner, with Ray planning to turn his back on his criminal lifestyle. This is easier said than done when he finds his boss murdered and her territory now being ruled by the crazed Lonny (Timothy V Murphy). Any ideas of quietly retiring are put to the side, with Ray having to fight for not only his life but that of his family’s. 

Working from his own script, Drake keeps things moving at a fair pace, getting good performances from the cast he’s assembled. The New Jersey setting also adds a good deal of character to the film, giving proceedings an air of authenticity. Now, not being native to New Jersey, or even being there to be more precise, I can’t honestly say how much was filmed there, but it still made a nice change from the usual shot in Eastern Europe actioners production company Millennium typically churn out. 

Speaking of Drake’s writing, his work on Guns Up better have been worth it, as it resulted in him being expelled from the Writers Guild of America due to him continuing to work on the script during the 2023 writers strike 

Being a Millennium production, there are certain expectations to be had. No matter the budget attached, you can almost guarantee that the CGI will be poor, with atrocious digital blood and gunfire. Of course my expectations were met, but surprisingly, considering this is a lower budgeted Millennium offering, the effects weren’t any worse than what was on show in the likes of Expen4bles (2023). 

Counter to the poor CGI is some decent production values. As mentioned, the locations seem suitably authentic, with the bar where much of the film takes place looking suitably lived in. 

In terms of the plot, Drake isn’t exactly re-inventing the wheel here. There is some memorable dialogue, but with that there are also some extreme leaps in logic. We are meant to believe that the main villain can instantly recognise who took his eye out 30 years previous, even though said character looks totally different. Has extreme trauma given him special abilities? Additionally, the late in the day twist would only be surprising to those who have only started watching movies. 

In terms of action, it is more efficient than truly spectacular. The assortment of shoot outs and fight scenes are capably carried out, with a fair bit of blood letting, but there’s nothing here that you won’t have seen before. Even so, it is fun to see the likes of James and Ricci taking out a roomful of villains as it isn’t typical behaviour from them. Ricci is especially good fun when her character is allowed to show her darker side, with her proving to be more deadly than James’s enforcer. 

The supporting cast all do well, giving their characters more personality that is on the written page. This is no surprise regarding Luis Guzman, who has spent his career doing just that, taking C level characters and making them memorable. Melissa Leo, who has been appearing in numerous DTV efforts recently, adds some additional gravitas, but her screen time is extremely short. 

Faring better is Drake regular Francis Cronin, who actually makes his character more likeable than what I initially anticipated, with Cronin becoming more integral to the plot as the film progresses. 

Another Drake regular comes in the form of Timothy V. Murphy, who is suitably evil as the film's main villain Lonny. As he has done before for Drake (and many others), Murphy manages to impress with an underwritten character, bringing the required air of menace, although due to his limited screentime he doesn’t seem as threatening as is implied. A few more scenes showing how dangerous he is would have been appreciated. 

Ultimately, Guns Up isn’t a film that will make a lasting impression, but you could do a lot worse. If you're looking for a fun 90 minutes filled with bullets, fights and a few laughs, Guns Up will certainly scratch that itch. If anything, it at least proves that Edward Drake isn’t the “worst filmmaker ever” as suggested by Red Letter Media. It may not make me instantly enthusiastic for his next film, but I at least won’t be so quick to judge it.. 

Rating: 3/5