Martin Tillman (James Coburn) is looking forward to a happy holiday with his family, until a random act of violence kills his daughter Penny (Virginia Madsen). As the days pass Martin can not move on with his life. With the murder weapon in his possession Martin is determined to trace the gun’s past to help make sense of his daughter’s death. Through the cross country journey Martin discovers the various uses the gun has had. He also searches out his granddaughter to break the sad news and try to recover his family.

James Coburn gives one of his greatest and most touching performances. This serious story has deep plots of love, forgiveness, and continuing on. It is a difficult journey and you will find yourself emotionally moved. As “American Gun” comes towards the end a few twists are still left; and as the mystery unfolds with the tragedy of this family replayed you may find yourself shedding a tear or two. In memory of James Coburn the bonus feature is the “James Coburn: Bang the Gong” biography. This DVD if one of the most meaningful I have seen in a while.