After decimating an entire arms smuggling operation in Season 3 of TV’s top action series “Reacher” earlier this year, Alan Ritchson returned in November alongside Kevin James for the action comedy “Playdate.” Unfortunately, the film was a critical failure, but Prime Video users didn’t care, sending the film to number one on the streaming service. Now, however, James is back for his second action comedy of 2025, and it just might have the edge over “Playdate.”
“Guns Up” was released on Paramount+ on December 1 and also managed to top the platform’s charts. It also garnered more positive reviews than “Playdate” and appears to be a slightly better option for action comedy fans. The film sees James play a mafia agent trying to leave his illicit profession and is directed by Australian filmmaker Edward Drake. The director previously moved from music videos to B-movies, including writing and directing several films in old man Bruce Willis’ oeuvre — you know, the films with titles like “Breach” and “American Siege.” His last film before “Guns Up” was “Detective Knight: Independence,” the third in a trilogy of films starring Willis as the titular investigator.
With “Guns Up,” however, Drake pivoted once again, delivering much of the same action that characterized his collaborations with Willis, but this time with a comedic streak. This decision seemed to work relatively well for him, as “Guns Up” is the director’s highest-profile release to date. So if you want to see how his and James’ team performed, you can do so right now on Paramount+.
Guns Up stars Kevin James as a badass dad
Paramount+ has some great movies, even though it’s one of the smaller streaming services, and “Guns Up” is a solid addition to the catalog. It stars Kevin James as former cop and family man Ray Hayes, who in his life after being a police officer works as a mob henchman. This career choice doesn’t really allow Ray to meet his family commitments, which means that at some point, you can bet there will be a major conflict between his career and his home life.
Ray is well aware that he must abandon the criminal group and dreams of moving away to open a restaurant with his wife Alice (Christina Ricci). But before he can do that, he must complete one last task for his employers. You can see where this is going, right? Things don’t go exactly as planned and, worse, the gangsters have a heartless new boss in the form of Lonnie Castigan (Timothy V. Murphy), who targets Ray’s children Siohbán (Keana Marie) and Henry (Leo Easton Kelly), hastening his violent departure from the mob.
“Guns Up” was released on Paramount+ on December 1, 2025, and viewers propelled the film to the top of the charts. It debuted at number two the day after arriving on the service before climbing to number one the next day (via FlixPatrol). Plus, critics like it a little more than “Playdate,” which is somewhat surprising given that the latter stars Alan Ritchson, whose star has been on the rise since his debut as Jack Reacher. However, stay-at-home dad Jeff Eamon wasn’t one of Ritchson’s best roles, with “Playdate” only managing a disappointing 20% on Rotten Tomatoes. “Guns Up,” meanwhile, fares much better.
Avoid the Playdate and raise your guns
“Guns Up” won’t go down as one of the best action comedies of all time, but it’s a good time and slightly more enjoyable than “Playdate.” In this Prime Video release, Kevin James’ accountant father-in-law character is shocked to discover that Alan Ritchson’s stay-at-home dad is actually a former Delta Force soldier – a man who quickly reveals his hidden talents as an unassailable badass during a game of gambling gone wrong. In “Guns Up,” however, James is the tough guy. At one point, his son even asks, “Is Dad John Wick?” That’s kind of the idea here, and it works better than the dynamic of “Playdate,” where you always expect Ritchson to be the hero.
While the Ritchson/James team-up was criticized for its dull comedy and dated tone, “Guns Up” at least managed to impress a few critics, who collectively gave the film a more passable 61% score on Rotten Tomatoes. That said, only one of the three “top critics” who rated the film actually liked it, with Linda Marric of HeyUGuys calling it “a clear win for Kevin James, who proves he can be an action hero.” Siddhant Adlakha of Variety, meanwhile, was surprised by the absence of “armed shootouts” in a film called “Guns Up” and found that “the story and action lack the urgency suggested by the Last Job premise.”
Still, there’s no doubt that more people liked “Guns Up” than “Playdate.” Indeed, one Letterboxd user summed it up perfectly, writing: “‘Guns Up’ is the kind of movie you scroll through on a streaming service, take a chance on the casting, and come away thinking, ‘That was better than I expected.'”
