A single woman who should be celebrating a career milestone finds herself on the run in Gigi Gaston's road trip thriller. To support herself while writing her memoir, Gypsy (Lena Headey, Game of Thrones) has been working as an exotic dancer in Santa Clarita, CA. As 9 Bullets begins, she has just received a publishing deal.
While she clocks in at the club for her final shift before transitioning to full-time writing, the accountant next door, who works for a crime boss, meets his death while racing home with his wife to pick up their 11-year-old computer whiz son, Sam (Dean Scott Vasquez, In the Heights) after the boss gets wind of his embezzlement. Unbeknownst to the killers, the boy witnesses the murder. In his possession, Sam also has an iPad with the boss's account codes.
When Gypsy (a name inspired by burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee) returns home, she finds Sam cowering in her bathroom. Knowing that her ex-boyfriend, Jack (Sam Worthington, most recently of Hulu's Under the Banner of Heaven), the crime boss, was involved, she packs up Sam and his Chihuahua in her truck to put him on a train to his uncle in North Dakota. When that doesn't work out as planned, she decides to drive him across the country, well aware that the killers are on their trail. In Utah, she meets up with Jack to work out an arrangement, but it’s mostly an excuse for Ms. Gaston to shoot a soft-focus sex scene.
Naturally, the woman and the boy learn to trust each other during their travels, especially once Gypsy shares her traumatic backstory with Sam, something they now have in common. As they continue on to the Midwest, they briefly become a trio with the addition of Tasmin (La La Anthony), a sex worker, when a less-recognizable change of vehicle becomes necessary. In Montana, the duo also receives assistance from Lacey (Barbara Hershey, The Manor), Gypsy's former professor.
To Sam, Gypsy compares her resilience to the nine lives of a cat in that it would take nine bullets to kill her. Suffice to say, the film isn't a tragedy, though almost every crime that takes place, including several murders, go unpunished.
If 9 Bullets isn't a remake, the premise bears a close resemblance to John Cassavetes's 1980 Gloria in which Gena Rowlands's ex-gangster’s moll protects a neighbor boy whose family was murdered by the Mob. As with Sam's iPad, the boy had a book with the account information (Sidney Lumet remade the film in 1999 with Sharon Stone).
Lena Headey, a reliably adept actress, establishes a likable rapport with the less assured Vasquez, but too many plot developments just don't add up. 9 Bullets isn't the worst way to pass the time, and the tech credits are fine, but a more fully developed script would have gone a long way. The violence that breaks out at the climax also makes it more suitable for mature audiences than for viewers of Sam's age. An optional selection for crime and thriller collections.
What kind of film series would this narrative film fit in?
Film programmers devising a series involving strong women or children on the run might find a place for 9 Bullets.
What kind of film collection would this title be suitable for?
9 Bullets would be suitable for adventure, crime, and thriller film collections in public libraries.
What ages would this film be suitable for?
9 Bullets is appropriate for those aged 17 and above. Due to violent and sexual content, it is not recommended for young children.