Most films start with a screenplay. Certainly the true genesis is usually an idea or concept, but the film starts to take shape around a screenplay. Never has that been more true then with 3 Holes And A Smoking Gun. In fact, you could say it has a killer script. I'm not actually talking about the one written by Scott Fivelson for the movie. And, when I say killer, I'm not being at all figurative. This is a script that people will literally kill for, hence the smoking gun in the title. That's not to say that Fivelson's work isn't pretty good here. It's quite clever, but it's not the dominating aspect of this particular movie. That comes later.

Bobby Blue Day (Wilder) is pretty much a washed-up Hollywood screenwriter who now teaches a class on film writing. It wouldn't exactly be fair to say he is a has-been, because that would imply that he had anything like a successful career at all. He's obviously more than a little bitter, and that hits home hard when one of his students hands in the best script he's ever read or heard of. It's perfect, and he conspires to get himself a piece of the action by taking advantage of inexperienced writer Jack (Khan). But Jack isn't falling for the act. He knows how good the script is, and he's been through more than a little hell to get it this far. The problem is that Bobby appears to know a big-time director who will see the script's genius and want to make the film. But is that contact worth half the money and a co-writing credit? As it turns out, it's all a negotiation, and the two engage in a rather dangerous dance for position. Along the way we discover that everything isn't always what it appears to be, and Bobby's not the only one who will do anything to get himself attached to the work.

Here it is, Brittany Murphy’s swan song performance before her untimely death.  Though I may not have been her biggest fan, I could still appreciate growing up and watching her from films like Clueless and Girl, Interrupted, but for many she will always be the girl who said “I’ll never tell” in Don’t Say A Word.  The DVD promo art on the cover is banking on those loyal fans, and it does seem like an insensitive cash grab by the studio, especially since Murphy isn’t even the star. Instead she does nothing more than fill in a co-starring role in an unfortunate, forgettable performance.  So if you were looking for something more, I want to warn you from the start this is not her movie.

The film instead is focused on Christine (Shantel VanSanten), a young woman who narrowly survives a car accident that takes the lives of both her mom and dad.  Her boyfriend, James (John Robinson) was the driver in the unfortunate accident, and together the two try to make a life together while trying to cope with the tragedy that quite literally haunts them.  Taking Christine in while she works on finishing her degree is her older brother Bill (James Patrick Stuart), a local cop, as well as his wife Susan (Brittany Murphy) who happens to be a psychologist.

Here’s a movie that took me by surprise, and for anyone who knows me that is a high bar to clear. I was not expecting much from the picture and miraculously found myself hanging on every second. It is not your traditional horror film with a clear-cut antagonist; in fact, at some point it becomes difficult to determine who the real enemy in the film is. Which is not to say that the presumed antagonist is in any way redeemable; it just means that once you know the story there comes the possibility, no matter how slight, that you may find yourself sympathetic to their plight.

The film gets off to a good start; there is definite intrigue in the estranged relationship between Lara (Eleanor Tomlinson) and her father Dr. Hill (Stephen Rea). The film does not immediately clue us in to what has caused the rift in the relationship, but we are treated to glimpses. Based off the brief moments that allude to the strain, we gather that the mother is not in the picture, father and daughter do not spend much time together, and that the reunion is due to something the daughter was suspected of doing at her boarding school. Consider me intrigued.

I have multiple bones to pick with this film. Normally I would start at the bottom and work my way up. However, this time I simply feel the need to address what I believe the film’s biggest flaw: giving me a false sense of hope that it might actually turn out to be a decent film. I know, I know, part of this transgression is my own fault given that I am supposed to remain impartial. However, the blame for the monumental disappointment I felt when the credits rolled cannot be put on me alone. To clarify, the reason this the biggest transgression for me is because it had all the makings of a decent movie and squandered its runtime trying to be a bigger production than it was with cheesy special effects, conflicting and underdeveloped storylines, and unnecessary characters that the story could have simply gone without.

The film started with a decent introduction. An actress diva (in every sense of the word) throws a hissy fit on set and stomps off to her dressing room and a few minutes later is found dead with two punctures in her neck. So from that point on, you know what kind of movie to expect (if your answer is not vampire, you shouldn’t be reading this review). This introduction, albeit somewhat overdone, is fine as far intros go. It gets to the point, no muss no fuss. It also allows a little bit of mystery into the plot as we are now thrown into a who-done-it scenario. From there we are introduced to one of our leads, Detective Hung. Now I can’t explain why, but I thought he was going to be the breakout star of this production. He was calm and centered, he was aware of what was happening in the city, and he endeavored to do something about it. I will touch on this character more later; as I stated, this was not a great intro, but it was solid enough to lead into the rest of the film.