Robert Altman presents Gun (1997) (DVD Review)

Reviewed by: Jason S. Lockard
  
Robert Altman is probably best known for directing M*A*S*H* the movie. In 1997 he was the executive producer of a TV anthology series entitled Gun created by James Steven Sadwith. Now this anthology series is on DVD thanks to the great folks at Mill Creek Entertainment.

Anthology series are a lot of fun! Stories that are connected to form a much bigger picture. I've always loved this type of entertainment! Gun is a series of six stories that follow people who through the years hold a pearl-handled .45 semi-automatic pistol. We follow the gun and how it impacts the lives of those that hold it and others around it! Let's take a look at the episodes in this anthology series.

Our Rating System:
****=Don’t Miss it!
***=Worth a look.
**=An Ok way to spend an evening.
*=You haven’t missed anything.


                                                         Disc 1

The Shot: A family moving from Los Angeles has their life turned upside down when thugs try to rob the convenience store where they have briefly stopped. ***

Ricochet: The last case for retiring cop involves the death of a Japanese businessman. Circumstantial evidence points to the man's cold-hearted second wife. **

Columbus Day: A housewife is having an affair with an author. Her overprotective husband, owns a gun that, could be used as evidence against a terrorist. ***

                                                         Disc 2

All the President's Women: After the death of a golf-club president, womanizer Bill Johnson is elected the new leader. But he is losing his grip on the many women he's seeing. **

The Hole: A young man leads a tortured existence in his hometown after apparently killing his lover. And most of the townspeople don't want him there. ***

Father John: A priest's cynical nephew returns home for his uncle's funeral. But hero worship turns to curiosity when he discovers a large sum of money and a gun.***

When watching this anthology my thought was is this series perfect? Well, the answer is... No! There is some slow points in areas of episodes. Also some parts of episodes you could get a little lost while watching, but I myself really enjoyed it for the most part!

The series boasts of many recognizable stars including; Fred Ward, Kathy Baker, Carrie Fisher, Daryl Hannah, Randy Quaid, Martin Sheen, Kirsten Dunst, Danniel Stern and James Gandolfini in his first television role. And the directors of the six episodes are as follows; Robert Altman, James Foley, Ted Demme, Peter Horton, James Sadwith and Jeremiah Chechik.
 
This 2 disc DVD set is housed in tray DVD case. That means there is three almost 50 minute episodes on each disc. The audio and video quality of the episode look pretty awesome to me! The DVD menus are easy to access. And I kind of liked the idea of the theme playing on the DVD menu as well.

So if you anthology series or if you want to see James Gandolfini's first appearance on TV, and it is a good one. Robert Altman's Gun is for you! And under 15 bucks at www.MillCreekEnt.com isn't bad! You might even be able to get it for a little cheaper online or your local video provider and pick this one up today! This one is worth checking out!

Moral Rating: violence, adult and sexual situations
Audience: Not be suitable for small children
Genre: anthology, drama
Length: Over 4 hours
DVD Release: 2018
DVD Rating: A-