The folks out at Image Entertainment sent out a copy of Gun for us to watch, and though I wasn’t expecting much out of this one, I found my expectations quickly surpassed. And though Gun isn’t perfect, it is a lot better than you might see coming.

Gun follows Rich, a low-level street thug turned arms dealer with access to a surprisingly wide array of firepower, many pieces of which will be almost lovingly named and described. Rich’s contacts are his secret weapon, and a surprisingly plausible connection is invented for him that really makes a lot of sense. Meanwhile, Rich’s old friend Angel has just gotten out of prison, and joins up with Rich’s outfit in a bid to make some dough, which as we all know is difficult for most anyone these days and significantly worse for someone with a prison record. But there’s an informant in Rich’s organization that’s threatening to bring the whole thing down, and by the time we find out who it is, well, we’re all going to be pretty surprised.

See, there’s a good reason I didn’t expect much here; one, that title is godawful. Seriously, Gun? What’s the sequel, Duh? Maybe we’ll go trilogy and the third one will be called Ugh. But then I found out that this not only stars notorious rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, but he also wrote the screenplay.

But just when I was expecting a train wreck of epic proportions, what I ended up with instead was a passably good action thriller with some nice twists. Sure, Jackson‘s work is about as subtle as a baseball bat with nails in it at a senior prom, but there actually is a lot to like in the low-budget style that is Gun. The plot has nice twists–I won’t spoil but there will be a couple surprises, especially when you find out where Rich is getting his high-tension firepower in the first place–and the dialogue is at least believable, if a bit hackneyed in points.

This is actually only Jackson‘s second script–via the IMDB, his first was for a music video last year called Before I Self Destruct–and his third comes next year in the form of Things Fall Apart. Frankly, I can see Jackson managing to pull something off here. His work is rough at best and he’s got zero subtlety, but I still want to see Things Fall Apart when it’s ready, especially if it shows improvement over an already fairly decent Gun.

Well worth a rental if you’re into action flicks, the Screenhead Ten Scale tosses Gun a high-caliber seven out of ten (if I were really feeling the punnage today I’d force it to hand over a 7.62, but that’s really riding the concept), for giving me a surprise package I wasn’t expecting. Christmas may be past, but this one was a surprise worthy of Christmas morning.

The folks out at Lions Gate sent me a copy of Caught in the Crossfire to review, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do today.  I have to admit, that when you’ve got a banner notice like this:

“From a producer of 16 Blocks and Righteous Kill”

across the top of the box, it sets off more red flags than a three-day NASCAR race.

Featuring Chris Klein and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Caught in the Crossfire follows a pair of police detectives as they investigate a gang-related crime in the area.  Well, the deeper their investigation goes, the more they run afoul of the various gangs in the area, as well as a host of cops who’d sooner keep things quiet.  And when you discover just what it is that’s got the cops and the gangs alike after the detectives, well…you really won’t be that surprised at all.

See, Caught in the Crossfire watches like a product order out of the Cop Drama Merchandise Catalog.  Every inch of this, from the Bereaved Loved Ones to the Thin Blue Line to the Corrupt Internal Affairs Agents  comes pretty much out of a standard pattern that’s shown up in cop movies since time immemorial.

On a personal note, however, I’m abundantly gratified to see that this was shot entirely in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as is evident from the names on the sides of the police cars.  This, however, isn’t anywhere near enough to make it much more than a second-tier warmed over cop drama.

On the other hand, I do know that there are limits inherent in this sort of production that make a lot of innovation downright difficult to pull off.  And I really do think they’re at least butting up against the most they could do, and as cop dramas go, this one isn’t half bad.

The problem, of course, is that it just can’t produce a whole lot more than the standard.  It’s so predictable, and so purely run of the mill that even where you don’t see the plot twists coming, you just plain old won’t care about them.

Thus, the Screenhead Ten Scale gives a dismissive back-of-hand “bah!” in the grandest Dogbert fashion and hands this mediocre pile of unpleasantness a five out of ten.  It tried, I give it due credit, but it just couldn’t pull off anything out of the ordinary or, better, worth paying attention to.

You know how actors sometimes have to shed a few pounds to play a role? Well, 50 Cent is getting ready to lose 65 pounds to play a role in Things Fall Apart.

This film is produced by 50 Cent’s Cheetah Vision Films, about a high school football player who gets cancer.

There is only one problem. Things Fall Apart is a very famous novel by Chinua Achebe that deals with a tribe facing missionary invasion in Africa.

Why in the world would someone take this title and apply it to another film? That would be like if I made some film and decided to call it Jurassic Park.

Source

Not content in the music and the games industry any longer, Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson is moving into Hollywood, having joined the cast of the upcoming police corruption drama Caught in the Crossfire.

The film will tell the story of two homicide detectives who find themselves caught in the crossfire of a gang-related homicide and a group of dirty cops. Jackson will play a gang-banger who becomes a reluctant informant.

Other cast members include Chris Klein, Adam Rodriguez and Richard T. Jones. Written by Brian Miller, who is also directing, the film will start shooting later this month in Michigan.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is set to  be contemporized and titled “Jekyll and Hyde.”

Abel Ferrara is taking another walk on the wild side with a re-imagining of the classic with Forest Whitaker and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson are attached to play the lead roles in the classic tale about a doctor who invents a potion that unleashes his violent alter ego reported by Variety this week.

I can’t wait to see this film both Whitaker and 50 Cent as a combine talent will generate a formidable movie.

Keanu Reeves is finally getting some competition from some unlikely sources, as Variety reports that another take on Jekyll and Hyde is in the works with Forest Whitaker and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson attached to play the lead roles.

The film will reimagine the classic tale of a doctor who invents a potion that unleashes his violent alter ego.

Like the Reeves project, this film will also have a contemporary setting. It is being helmed by Abel Ferrara and is set to start shooting later this summer.

From Yahoo comes word that Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s new production company – Cheetah Vision – is developing the drama The Dance.

The film will see the rapper star as a boxer who goes to state prison. Nicolas Cage plays the founder of the prison’s boxing program.

50 Cent is currently working on the American remake of French thriller 13 Tzameti and can be seen next in Streets of Blood alongside Val Kilmer and Sharon Stone. He also has a new album due out this March.

Rapper Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson has joined the cast of Dead Man Running, an upcoming indie London gang movie from Alex de Rakoff.

The film is set in London and centers on an ex-con trying to go straight who is given 24 hours to raise 100,000 GBP to pay off a loan shark or become a “dead man running.” The mission takes him from East London to rural Manchester as he tries every trick and scam in the book to get the cash before it’s too late.

Danny Dyer, Brenda Blethyn and Tamer Hassan also star. Shooting has already begun.

13, the English-language remake of 2005 French film 13 Tzameti, adds Mickey Rourke, Ray Winstone, Jason Statham, 50 Cent and Ray Liotta to the casting list.

The psychological thriller won the grand jury prize for the world cinema at Sundance Film Festival.

Gela Babluani wrote and directed the original film. He’s penned the English remake and is directing the film as well. Filming starts in New York on November 20.

Sam Riley, his casting was announced in October, plays the lead character. A young man falls into an underground competition where the rich gamble on human beings in a Russian-Roulette-style competition.

According to Variety, director Gela Babluani’s remake of his French-language film 13 Tzameti is set in motion as 13 with recent new cast members: 50 Cent, Mickey Rourke and Jason Statham starring opposite Sam Riley.

13 Tzameti was the winner of the 2006 Sundance Grand Jury Prize.

The English-language remake is penned by Bahluani, which tells a story of a man who steals a mysterious package with promises to pay out a fortune.

Filming begins in New York City mid November.

Interesting story on gambling — take a look at the trailer below.