History Film / MeanGuns

'''Vincent:''' [shoots him] THEN DON'T! ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?!

* {{Awesome McCool Name}}: Vincent Moon.

''Mean Guns'' is a 1997 action film starring Creator/ChristopherLambert and Music/IceT as [[AwesomeMcCoolName Vincent Moon]], a charismatic crime lord whose syndicate has just built a new prison. The day before its opening, he brings together 100 people who have betrayed the syndicate, dumps weapons and ammo on them, and gives them six hours to fight it out in the prison before his men move in and kill everyone. The last three survivors will walk out with their lives and split $10 million.

* ImprobableInfantSurvival: By the end of the movie, only [[spoiler:two]] characters are still alive. Guess who one of them is?

* KillThemAll: Even said literally by Lou: "We've got to kill them all!" Marcus brings it up at the end of the movie, hinting that the syndicate doesn't want anyone to survive this game - not even Moon. [[spoiler:By the end, there are only two characters left standing, neither of whom actually participated in the bloodshed.]]

* ScaryBlackMan: Ironically nicknamed Blondie. In fact there are two of them among random thugs and it seems that another appears just to substitute for Blondie actor (both of them are one-eyed).

* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Characters who gets a hold of shotguns instantly gains an advantage in gunfights. Lou in particular, wielding a shotgun, gets to mow down around several mooks in quick succession.

* SoundtrackDissonance: Many scenes of killings and violent shoot-outs or meelee fights are accompanied by delightful mambo music.

** After Moon finishes his monologue clearly explaining the situation to the criminals, a biker guy in the back complains that he's not making any sense, so Moon immediately shoots him to prove he's not kidding.

* AccidentalChildKillerBackstory: Lou, a retired hitman, quit the mob after a botched hit where he accidentally shot a little boy. It was this mistake that led him to partake in the film's main event, a free-for-all shootout where a hundred killers, many of them DeathSeekers, will hunt down and execute each other.

* ThoseTwoBadGuys:
** Crow and Hoss. Best friends and gangsters who are constantly trading wisecracks as they navigate the prison, killing other criminals left and right.
** Due to their interactions you may assume that Marcus and Moon were these in their youth.

* DeathByMaterialism: [[spoiler:Barbie survives the mass slaughter for a very long time by using her looks to her advantage, but becomes just another victim when she tries to pry open a booby-trapped briefcase she believed was full of valuables.]]

* EnemyMine: After the initial round of killing in the DeadlyGame and they all disperse, many criminals assemble into large groups for strength in numbers. Only three survivors are allowed to walk out of the building, so it stands to reason that they were intending to turn on each other after dealing with everyone else. It's also openly discussed when Lou, Marcus, D, and Cam team-up; inevitably, one of them will have to bite it. [[spoiler:Cam is the only survivor of the four.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Moon is a cold blooded killer and even he finds Lou's methods of killing people pretty disturbing. The reason why Moon allowed him to enter the Game of his own free will is because Lou has actually become a liability to the Syndicate because of it.

* MutualKill: [[spoiler:When Lou is mortally wounded at the end, Markus walks up to him. They turn their guns on each other and agree to finish it.]]

* RaceAgainstTheClock: Vincent Moon gives the hundred people locked in the prison six hours to kill each other. If there are more than three survivors beyond that point, everyone will be disqualified and executed by his men waiting outside.

* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Characters who gets a hold of shotguns instantly gains an advantage in gunfights. Lou in particular, wielding a shotgun, gets to mow down aroung 8 mooks in succession.

** Moon's opening monolgue is taken from ''Literature/AlsoSprachZarathustra'' by Creator/FriedrichNietzsche.

* InfantImmortality: By the end of the movie, only [[spoiler:two]] characters are still alive. Guess who one of them is?

* OffingTheMouth: After Moon finishes his monologue clearly explaining the situation to the criminals, a biker guy in the back complains that he's not making any sense, so Moon immediately shoots him to prove he's not kidding.

** The final showdown towards the end, plus the empty gun twist, was heavily inspired by The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

* DeathByMaterialism: [[spoiler:Blondie survives the mass slaughter for a very long time by using her looks to her advantage, but becomes just another victim when she tries to pry open a booby-trapped briefcase she believed was full of valuables.]]

* ThouShallNotKill: Cam is the only one of the contestants that is hesitant in killing another human being. She survives the entire game without killing anyone.

* PapaWolf: Lou.

* AskAStupidQuestion: After Vincent Moon explains the rules of the bame to the condemned, he opens the floor for questions. He immediately kills one guy who mouths off, then gets this bonehead inquiry from another one:

* EnemyMine: After the initial round of killing in the DeadlyGame and they all disperse, many criminals assemble into large groups for strength in numbers. Only three survivors are allowed to walk out of the building, so it stands to reason that they were intending to turn on each other after dealing with everyone else. It's also openly discussed when Lou, Markus, D, and Cam team-up; inevitably, one of them will have to bite it.

* AskAStupidQuestion: After Vincent Moon explains the rules of the Game to the condemned, he opens the floor for questions. Two people who ask dumb questions are immediately killed.

'''Vincent:''' [shoots him] Then don't!

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Moon is a cold blooded killer and even he finds Lou's methods of killing people pretty disturbing. The reason why Moon allowed him to enter the Game of his own free will is gecause Lou has actually become a liability to the Syndicate because of it.