Alexandra Daddario has had an up-and-down film career. The 35-year-old star broke out as Annabeth in 2010’s Percy Jackson film, and parlayed that success into high profile parts in Hall Pass, San Andreas with The Rock, followed by a second collaboration for Baywatch. Lately, though, Daddario has been headlining a series of films that have a late-night, or straight-to-DVD quality about them in order to land leading roles. Can You Keep A Secret?, Lost Transmissions, and Lost Girls and Love Motels have flown beneath the radar. Will her latest effort, Die In A Gunfight, be the one that finds a following?
Directed by Collin Schiffli and distributed by Lionsgate, Die In A Gunfight has a distinct True Romance vibe to it, and exudes a 1990s vibe, which I consider to be a compliment. Alexandra Daddario plays Mary, the daughter of a deadly crime family in New York City. As luck (or, you know, William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet) would have it, Mary finds true love in Ben (Diego Boneta)... who happens to the the son of her father’s top rival.
Don't you just hate when that happens?
Doesn’t the style and visual aesthetic of Die In A Gunfight remind you of Go, The Way of the Gun, and other late-night thrillers that came from the minds of Doug Liman, Chris McQuarrie, Jonathan Mostow and all the other filmmakers who worshipped at the altar constructed by Quentin Tarantino? Gary Oldman could have a small supporting part in this movie, but he’d chew the scenery and we’d still be talking about how much fun he appeared to be having when someone randomly mentions Die In A Gunfight 20 years from now.
As for Alexandra Daddario, we’re still trying to figure out if she is a star. I mentioned the big-screen successes she has enjoyed over the course of her career. And she also had that memorable role on the incredible first season of True Detective, but again, that was a vehicle for Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, which Daddario managed to stand out in.
Perhaps the role of Mary is the one that we’ve been waiting for, to catapult Alexandra Daddario into the stratosphere. If not, it’s perfectly fine for her to be a versatile character actress who steals focus away in talented ensembles. But until she settles back into that comfortable position, Daddario appears ready to try a few more projects like this to see if she has leading-lady chops, and an ability to draw.
We’ll know for certain when Die In A Gunfight (cool title) reaches theaters and On Demand on Friday, July 16. Are you also wondering what else is coming to theaters in 2021? COVID messed with everyone’s schedules, and so you’ll want to keep our Upcoming Movie Release Schedule nearby, and reference it often.
