American Gun (2002)

40% of critics liked it
(20 reviews)
40% of users liked it
(777 ratings)

James Coburn stars in this disappointing drama about a man who tracks the gun he believes killed his daughter. Living out his twilight years in a dreary, snowbound Vermont town, tragedy strikes when his beloved daughter (Virginia Madsen) returns home for the holidays. While out doing some last… More James Coburn stars in this disappointing drama about a man who tracks the gun he believes killed his daughter. Living out his twilight years in a dreary, snowbound Vermont town, tragedy strikes when his beloved daughter (Virginia Madsen) returns home for the holidays. While out doing some last minute shopping, she is shot and killed, seemingly by a nameless local thug. Crushed by her tragic and sudden death Coburn's hard-working everyman falls to pieces and decides to set out on in search of the weapon that laid the final blow. Also in search of his estranged granddaughter, Coburn crisscrosses the country as he comes into contact with the various owners of the titular weapon, hearing each of their diverse stories. ~ Rachel Deahl, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 29 min.
Directed By: Alan Jacobs
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jan 1, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Feb 17, 2004

Critic Reviews

Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Martin internalizes everything, and Coburn must communicate only through pained looks. It's a tremendous performance.
David Hunter, Hollywood Reporter
Getting a lot of quality cinema out of a tight budget, Jacobs (Just One Night) takes some risks in the storytelling department that result in a film that encourages one to think long and hard about the subject of guns.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
The film comes closer to doing for firearms what "Jurassic Park 3" did for dinosaurs. It showed lots of 'em, had them kill a few people and made you wish it would end sooner than it did.
Noel Murray, AV Club
[It's] what happens when a director makes a movie based on what he imagines to be true, instead of what's actually so.
Andrew Wright, Portland Mercury
Coburn is the whole show. Disregard the melodrama, and take it instead as a tone poem documenting the final, wintery ride of an irreplaceably magnificent bastard.
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
The single special feature of note is "James Coburn: Bang the Gong" a typical and generally engaging edition of A & E's Biography.
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
Its intentions are good, at least if you share the film's wariness of guns, but the execution so earnest as to be joyless.
Dan Jardine, Cinemania
Contrived, pedantic and ultimately a tedious bore.
Oz, eFilmCritic.com
Gives the gun control debate a real shot in the arm (no pun intended). Whether it succeeds or fails as a story is largely irrelevant - it at least tries to be great.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
Right up until [the] fatal last reel, American Gun is a mostly engaging and intriguing character study of an expectedly determined man.

Read all 10 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bruce B

All I can say about this film with out giving anything away is WOW. James Coburn played an excellent part, just a shame to see him in his elder years all crippled up with arthritis in his hands, watch closely and you will see it. This one shouldn't be missed. 3 1/2 stars