Guns Up

When a routine job spirals out of control, Ray Hayes, a former police officer who keeps a second life as a mob enforcer, has to pull his family out of the city before dawn. The story stays focused on one frantic night as Ray juggles loyalty to dangerous bosses, the safety of his wife Alice and their children, and the mounting trail of evidence that could expose him. Each choice raises the stakes, so he improvises, bargains and takes risky moves to carve a path to safety. Tension mixes with dark humor, relationships complicate choices, and the moral cost of survival becomes painfully clear, tonal strain.

Directed by Edward Drake, Guns Up arrived in 2025 with a cast led by Kevin James, Christina Ricci, Luis Guzmán, Joey Diaz and Melissa Leo, positioning the film as a star-driven action comedy with crime elements and brisk nighttime pacing.

The movie saw a modest theatrical rollout, with box office details varying by market and not universally reported. It found an audience through word of mouth and digital rentals, making its financial profile typical for midrange genre releases in 2025.

Critical response leaned mixed, anchored by a 6.537/10 score from 163 votes, with praise for Kevin James' move into action comedy and the film's balance of laughs and grit. It focuses on family loyalty, moral compromise and the costs of protecting loved ones under intense pressure, and occasional dark humor.

Although too recent to claim lasting cultural status, Guns Up stirred conversation for casting a familiar comedian in a serious action role, prompting discussions about career range. Fans and genre observers noted several tense set pieces and quotable one-liners, which helped the film build a modest cult following online quickly.