Review by Jon Donnis
Written and Directed by Gigi Gaston, 9 Bullets is a film about Gypsy Moon (Lena Headey - Game of Thrones) is a novelist by day but when night falls she dances to earn her keep. However, when the family next door is brutally murdered Gypsy finds herself on the run from crime boss Jack (Sam Worthington - Avatar) and his thugs.
Finding herself as protector to a young boy and his dog, the only survivors of the brutal attack, Gypsy realises she is the only thing that stands between them and their survival in this truly edge-of-your seat thriller.
The film starts off with Gypsy off to perform her last gig as a burlesque dancer, she is also about to finish an autobiographical book that will soon be published.
While this is going on, we cut to a young boy Sam getting a call from his terrified father, he is told he needs to enact the emergency escape plan and grab an iPad with important information. Sam's father tells him to exit the house and meet him in their secret spot. Unfortunately, just as the father is reaching the meeting point, he and the rest of the family are murdered. The killers are looking for the iPad, while this is going on Sam is watching it all happen, along with his small dog from a distance. The killers leave and Sam goes to find his family murdered.
Sam finds his way home, and gets into Gypsy's house who is his neighbour. She has no choice but to look after the boy, and take him on a road trip to a guardian who is not interested in helping.
Now people are after Sam and the laptop, one of whom happens to be gypsy's ex.
What follows is a strange road trip, thriller, with some interesting side plots thrown in. For example, a woman who appears in the back of a stolen car, and then joins them on the road trip for a bit which adds a comedy tone to the film.
Add a gratuitous sex scene between Gypsy and Jack, and an ending that goes one way and then the complete opposite, and you have a rather unusual film.
I am however a HUGE Lena Headey fan, I loved her in Game of Thrones, but long before that I thought she was great in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. She is easily the stand out in this film, and her acting chops elevate the film to a level that without her it would have no chance of reaching.
This is a strange film to judge, as it was very different to what I was expecting, where as it is advertised as more of an "on the run" thriller, it is actually more of a story about how two unconnected people end up merging into a mother and son relationship, and the love that creates.
The Good
Lena Headey is outstanding, an excellent actress, and also quite the performer if you watch the burlesque scene at the start!
The Bad
The story gets lost a few times in the film, and the side plots seem a bit "stuck on with cello tape" if you know what I mean. I would have preferred if they had just been part of the main story from the start.
Overall
Anything with Lena Headey in it gets extra marks from me, a great performance, only dragged down by a confusing story.
I score 9 Bullets a solid 7/10
Out now on Apple TV - https://apple.co/3FOGobM
Pre-order from amazon at https://amzn.to/3wjJFN9
