Review: ‘Gutshot Straight’ Evokes A Different, Dangerous Side From Eads
3 min readGeorge Eads returns to the big screen and makes his producing debut in the new indie-thriller Gutshot Straight.
Something tells me fans of George Eads will be incredibly interested in the star’s latest acting turn.
After portraying Las Vegas CSI Nick Stokes on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation for over thirteen years you can imagine the internal sensation an actor might go through to attempt something new. Over the past decade most of Eads’ attention has been directed at the show that made him a household name, and a big one at that. He’s done the occasional voice work on the side and a television depiction of legendary Evel Knievel, but it’s with the forthcoming Gutshot Straight that you really sense the actor has a long and steady career outside of his current gig.
In Gutshot Straight Eads plays Jack, a regular at the Las Vegas casino circuit and man who lives life on the dangerous side. If he’s not driving around is his low-class trash car or living in a rinky-dink motel room, he’s making bets and fighting for loans. He knows anyone and everyone involved at the casinos, though he might not remember your name. From pit bosses to cocktail servers, everyone knows Jack. And about his deep, risky addiction to gambling that surprisingly hasn’t gotten him killed.
After being turned down for loans by the bank and beat down by Carl (Vinnie Jones, Elementary) and his group of thugs one night in his motel room, Jack comes into contact with a man who could, potentially, be the answer to his problems. See, Jack may be dangerously addicted to gambling, but he partakes in the sport with the best intentions: Jack has a wife and daughter. Enter Stephen Lang‘s (Avatar, In Plain Sight) Duffy, a millionaire, divorcee (multiple times) and one of the brightest in the game who presents Jack with an ultimatum. Aforementioned ultimatum involves a woman and a big heap of cash–something Jack is in dire need of–but the long-term consequences of his decision play a pivotal role in the decision that he makes. As the film progresses, we see Jack transform from a guy gambling cards to potentially gambling his life away.
This marks Eads’ first time producing a film, and it’s safe to say it was a successful first run. At CSI, I’ve witnessed how collaborative he is on set. After thirteen years he is still deeply invested in his character and the thought process that goes into his character. Where some people can make a decision just to ‘make’ a decision, Eads produces with quality and creativity at heart. And in this debut outing, it truly does show. Passionate about the product he puts out there, Eads’ work on and off camera in Gutshot Straight is deliciously fascinating. Though he’s known for crime-fighting on TV, make no mistake: his work in this film is something of an entirely different world, and one that leaves me eager for what comes next.
Gutshot Straight does not yet have a wide-release date.
About The Author
Do we have any release dates for this yet? I am really keen to see it!