In this quirky and clever comedy written and directed by Eric Blakeney, almost all the lead characters are discontented with their jobs or status in life. Call it middle-age malaise or burnout, these men harbor fantasies of a better, simpler, and more relaxing future.
Charlie (Liam Neeson) is a veteran undercover DEA agent whose close encounter with death in his last sting operation has left him with a bad case of the jitters. He confesses all this to Dr. Bleckner (Michael Mantell), a psychiatrist who introduces him to a support group of other unhappy men.
Charlie's dream of retiring to a beachfront property comes to the fore in the midst of a tense money laundering deal where he's forced to cope with several angry and violent criminals. Fulvio Nesstra (Oliver Platt) is a mob hit man who is a volcano of anger. Fidel Vaillar (Jose Zuniga) and his partner Estuvio (Michael DeLorenzo) are two high-strung Colombian drug dealers anxious to make some big money and improve their status in the cartel.
Surprises abound in Gun Shy as each character reveals a secret yearning that seems at odds with the persona he presents to the world. Charlie learns how to cope with his fear under the tutelage of Judy Tipp (Sandra Bullock), a nurse who tries to heal him with her zest for living in the present moment.