The Way of the Gun

Rating:
Summary: This one suprised me a lot.
Review: I can't portray how much I dislike Ryan Phillippe, but in this movie he shined as the anti-Hollywood hunk everyone wants him to be. He needs to stay on this route. McQuarrie has created two of the best characters I've ever scene on film. Parker and Longbaugh are two men that are bad and never, never make excuses or come to realization that they'd live better lives if they stopped being bad. This is unheard of when it comes to anti-heros of this relaxed film noir genre. Usually the anti-heros find by the end of the movies that what they've done is wrong and you pity them, but Parker straight out says that they do not regret what they've done and they don't want are pity. This type of character seems to be a new one that I would call an anti-character. Absolutely revolutionary. Now if you're not going to watch Way of the Gun for the characters than at least watch it for the opening sequence which is the best way to start a movie that I've ever seen. It's so outrageous and over the top that it's shocking and funny. It also sums up what kind of guys these are that you're actually dealing with. There are parts of the movie that drag a little which is why I had to take away the one star, but overall this is a great, overlooked movie that should be taken very seriously.

Rating:
Summary: Bad guys versus the Bad guys
Review: Benico Del Toro is absolutely fabulous!! The way he carries himself makes you wonder "what did this guy do before he got into films, knock off banks?" Surprisingly Phillippe gave a nice prefromace as the "young protégé" under the tutelage of Del Toro. The commentary was a bit disappointing due to Joe Kramer making jokes about the film while McQuarrie tries to tell you what happed. I think McQuarrie did an outstanding job on the script and the directing wasn't too bad. Give the guy a break it was his first time. You weren't spectacular you first time either! Overall if you like crime films; do not miss this one!

Rating:
Summary: A film about films
Review: At face value this film really isn't all that spectacular. It's an extremely straightforward piece - nothing about either the cinematography or the editing really jumps out and grabs you. The plot is nothing new or special either. But that's at face value.

This is a film about films, it's having a go at the entire action genre. Scene by scene McQuarie deconstructs the shoot-em-up movie with exquisite subtlety. Watching this movie you may find yourself thinking "Hang on, havn't I seen this all before?", and you'd be right, because you have, from the car chases through alley-ways to the wild-bunch reminiscent ending, this film is having a dig at all the action movies that have gone before. There are car chases, but at slow speed. The two bungling crims start behaving like elite commandos. Ryan Phillipe ISN'T behaving like the angsty teen he's made himself out to be. It's all surprising.

In brief - unless you're looking at the subtext within this movie you're going to be pretty much disapointed. Iff you can appreciate a bit of subtle tounge-in-cheek satire, I think you'll think you'll appreciate this flick immensely.

Rating:
Summary: Great Flick!
Review: This movie is great on its level. I can not think of any thing else like it. This movie appeals for its simplicity. It is simply a movie about two (somewhat)normal guys who take a wrong turn here and there and act as any other normal person would in that situation. Toro and Phillippe really show how they are coming a long as actors. Best opening I have ever seen, bar none! Solid story and a good ending. So it appeals to the average person out there. What would you do in there shoes? Great title that reflects the plot perfectly. It truly is the 'way of the gun'

Rating:
Summary: Too many plot holes...too many blanks...
Review: WAY of the GUN will hold your attention. The opening scene where a foul-mouthed young tramp gets her face rearranged is twistedly exhilarating. It kicks-starts this not unpromising "existential" action piece into high gear. But, despite excellent casting...including academy award winner Benicio del Toro; James Cann and Scott Wilson...there are too many plot holes along the "Way" and too many self-inflicted wounds by "blanks" in characterizing motivation. Del Toro and Phillipe are convincing in their nihilistic nonchalance and utter fearlessness. All other PLAYERS appear faking-it or don't give a "flying ...k" ((...cf: James Caan's buddy, whom we first meet ready to "do himself" out of a "grab bag" of loaded pieces)). The problem is soon the viewer doesn't care either. Mafia money launderer Scott Wilson's GQ-garbed hit men consistently act like they're constipated when trying so hard to be Bogart bad. WAY doesn't evoke sympathy (or much else) for the victim surrogate mother because she's not particularly appealing dripping with fetal blood and her motive for carrying/defending her child is...disgusting. Years ago...galaxies far away...hard cases like Bogart and Robert Mitchum might easily have made WAY OF THE GUN a winner. Or taken a talent like Christopher McQarrie to task for this high volume, multi-caliber con job. Again: the film will hold your attention. But by the end ( which REQUIRES the anti-heroes to declaim "existential" defiance at God) you might be hurling expletives like the young punks who felt provoked by Del Toro and Phillippe because these Homeboys were "dissing" them by playing Poser. This is what the film does.

Rating:
Summary: pure garbage
Review: My friends and I stumbled on this movie at the video store last night. I can honestly say that it is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Extremely bloody and extremely pointless! I am upset that I wasted two hours of my life on it. I will never get those two hours back - I could have been contemplating my navel, watching grass grow, exercising vigorously... basically anything would have been better than watching this misogynistic, homophobic piece of trash.

Rating:
Summary: Wasted Talent and Bad Execution of a decent script
Review: No one ever accussed Chris McQuarrie of not being able to write. In fact, he is a damn good screen writer but a below average director. The overall feel of The Way of the Gun is amateurish, from the horrible accompaniment to the third rate direction of this talented ensemble. Benecio Del Toro and Ryan Phillipe give their most forgettable performances as a basic street thugs who stumble upon a seemingly simply kidnapping scheme. However, things go terribly wrong (who could have guessed?) and the story gets vastly complicated when the boys learn that they have just kidnapped the surrogate mother for the local mafioso. James Caan turns in some excellent work as a beat down old bag man, who is conflicted on many levels. Great line from Caan "The only thing that you can assume about a broken down old man is that he's a survivor." Juliette Lewis gives a decent performance, but again McQuarrie falls into every directing pitfall. It's like he's trying to be a mix of Rodriguez, Tarantino, and Sergio Leone, needless to say the result is mixed. The ending is either a homage to Leone's westerns of the mid to late '60's or a bad rip-off. The best scene of the movie occurs in the first five minutes of the film, when Phillipe bloodies a loud-mouth bimbo with no emotion, pretty cool but as with the rest of this film it's all style and no substance.

Rating:
Summary: Tactically Correct
Review: In my humble tactical experience, The Way of the Gun is perfect and complete. Many of the skills and tactics used in the movie are real life skills used by SWAT teams and law enforcement officers. Even the choice of firearms used are the preffered among the elite operators i.e. 1911 handgun/HK USP. Though the story line may not be as interesting as other Hollywood flicks, the implementation of perfect firearm handling and skills make this movie worth a look. If you are involved in law enforcement or any other activities in firearms, buying this movie is a no-brainer.

Rating:
Summary: Sick and Twisted Thriller
Review: Ryan Phillippe and Benicio Del Toro star as two small time crooks who decide to step off the path and look for the big score. The plan was to kidnap a surrgate mother of a wealthy couple. Before long they find out who the parents are but its to late thier in over thier heads. Two body guards (Taye Diggs and Nicky Katt)looking for redemption and a bagman (James Caan) are closing in. The result lots and lots of guns.

I really liked this movie. It has one of the best opening scenes I have ever seen. There are lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. As the story unfolds everyone has a hidden agenda and nothing is as it seems. The three main shootouts are just awesome. If you like movies with twists and lots of gunplay this is it.

The dvd has a decent amount on it. From cast and crew interviews, trailers, production notes and script and storyboards. Also its worth mentioning the commentary on this movie is one of the best I have listened to.

Rating:
Summary: Hideous.
Review: The Way of the Gun (Christopher McQuarrie, 2000)

The Way of the Gun gets my vote for "most boring action film of 2000" by a pretty wide margin. McQuarrie, who wrote one of the finest mysteries ever filmed (The Usual Suspects), takes his own turn at the directorial helm here, and let's hope he learned from the many mistakes he made in his debut.

It's a relatively simple premise-- two down-on-their-luck small-time crooks, Parker, and Longbaugh (Ryan Phillippe and Benicio del Toro, respectively) decide to kidnap the surrogate mother of an extremely wealthy family. Her two rather inept bodyguards, Jeffers and Obecks (Taye Diggs and Nicky Katt) pursue the two outlaws and their charge with much blowing up of things and lots of shots fired.

Why such a can't-miss premise with such a stellar cast (including Juliette Lewis as the kidnap victim and James Caan as a very honked-off surrogate father) could have taken such a boring turn is beyond me. Perhaps McQuarrie requires a Bryan Singer behind the camera to make his visions come to life. He, on the other hand, takes excellent actors and manages to make them lifeless. I didn't think that was possible with Nicky Katt, but there ya go.

I didn't think I'd see a worse film this year than After the Storm, but here it is. (zero)