Rating: Summary: "They don't care about dying, only losing...." Review: Damn! Director Christopher Mcquarrie wanted to do an Alexander the Great picture instead of another crime noir flick?! Why? He's a master at turning these out and hopefully he decides to make more. I don't want to be comparing Tarantino, Sodebergh, and Mcquarrie here so I'll skip to the meat of the movie: The Dialogue....nobody talks like this and at times it seems like rambling, but the actors in the Way of the Gun carry it in a way that is amusing and at the same time tolerable, 'specially old bagman James Caan. Benicio Del Toro is great as usual and most will be surprised at Ryan Philippe's performance who adds gruffness with a beard to portray the scumbag. As petty, life criminals, Del Toro and Philippe seem to make up their heists as they go along which brings them to their "final, one big score" they've been looking for while at a sperm bank no less. The story tends to steer towards confusion with everybody taking a piece of the action and their interests are all intertwined but it is all tied up nicely in the end. Another minus for most might be the drab and gory tone of the movie but it is not overdone. In referring to the title, you'll see plenty of muzzle flash in this movie, where all sides are well versed in the way of the gun. Everything from jockeying for optimum firing positioning to one hand tactical reloads is worked into the scenes-see if you can catch them.
Rating: Summary: First 5 minutes of this movie is worth 100x the retail price Review: This review is for the movie itself as the dvd does not come out till after the 1st of the year. I went to the theatre with my girlfriend to see this movie when it first came out. Although my girlfriend didn't particularly care for the movie, she and I were in total agreement that the ticket price we paid to see this movie was well spent during the first five minutes. What exactly happens in that first five minutes? Well, I could tell you, but then it would spoil the effect of seeing it yourself for the first time. Suffice to say that if you have ever been annoyed by a women who can't keep her mouth shut, then you too will enjoy the beginning of this movie. How is the rest of the movie? Quite good I thought, there is lots of action and mystery surrounding the underlying motives of the different characters in this movie. James Caan does a superb job as the troubleshooter for a big time money man who plays with the wrong crowd and finds himself in a precarious situation. My only real complaint with the movie is that I wanted to see a little closure at the end, instead of leaving me hanging as to what happened. Buy this dvd if only for the first five minutes, although the entire movie is good, the first five minutes is GREAT!
Rating: Summary: Great Film Noir Type Movie...! Review: Christopher McQuarrie's directorial debut in this film which he also wrote. Of Chris is the winner of a Best Screenplay Academy Award for his script of "the Usual Suspects". While not as mind boggling as Suspects, Way of the Gun is a gritty feature with plot twists, superb dialog, and as the title suggests, some great shoot-outs. This is probably the best performance Ryan Phillippe has ever given. And of course as in everything he does, Benicio Del Toro is great. Even James Caan gives a good role as a bagman out to get the pair. Basically Phillippe and Del Toro are two end of the line thugs with expert gun skills with nothing to lose. They kidnap the surrogate mother of a baby for a rich couple, who are tied to organised crime. This is one of the best films of 2000!
Rating: Summary: Great Acting and Gunfights Review: The Way of the Gun is one of the years best movies. The gun scenes in this movie are done with a sense of style all their own, they aren't cliche in any way. The characters aren't given any backstory which is refreshing, usually the characters get into conversations about how bad their lives were, blah, blah, blah. The acting is uniformly supurb, Ryan Philippe gives a surprisingly convincing performence and Benicio Del Toro is excellent also. James Caan in especially solid as the "bad" guy in the movie. The movie is filled with anti-heros and twists, which kept me involved. The only part of the movie that stumbles on occasion is the dialogue. While it is excellent throughout most of the movie, at some parts, philosopical voiceovers are heard and the two characters spout off one liners about life. They are just distracting. But overall, a very entertaining movie with some of the freshest gun sequences I've seen in a long time.
Rating: Summary: Brilliantly violent Thriller Review: I watched this film with a friend and when it finished all he said was "What a load of pointlessy violent crap". I had to disagree as this movie signify's everything that makes violent movies entertaining. The acting is surprisingly good for an action movie and the action scenes are brilliant. If anything the script really lets the movie down, but you'll be so engrossed in the film you won't really notice. Above all though this movie is worth seeing for James Caan's brilliantly calculated performance as an aging hitman. Special mention must be made to the final shootout which has to be one of the most violent shootouts in recent history.
Rating: Summary: Great action and great story Review: "The Way of the Gun" was in my opinion one of the great movies this year. Of course, it's difficult to compare it to huge budget movies but, I still think this film was really well done. The story is quite innovative and the cast is really great. Benicio Del Toro and Ryan Philippe did a great job and James Caan is very good as the bagman. The action sequences are also very diverse and always caught my attention, especially the scene with the sniper rifle. Overall, great movie, great story... the only thing is that it seemed the writers didn't have enough time to expand the story enough.
Rating: Summary: Guns Review: From the Oscar winning screenwriter of The Usual Suspects, this wickedly off-beat mix of crime, comedy and gunplay stars Ryan Phillippe and Benicio del Toro. Convinced they'll score big one fast y kidnapping a young surrogate mother (Juliet Lewis) carrying the child of a wealthy Southwestern couple, two small-caliber crooks soon run into major problems. Realizing too late that they're in over their heads, the kidnappers fight to keep their plan from unraveling amid a rising tide of bloodshed, mind games and greed.
Rating: Summary: Not one of the BEST, but pretty decent... Review: I went into this movie being pretty impartial to everything, I wasnt too hyped, as I sometimes get when I think its going to be good - then my girl laughs in my face when it sucks (i.e. Fight Club)Anyway, I wasnt expecting too much, and came out pretty satisfied... It was pretty gripping at times, a couple loose ends and some confusion, but great acting and some pretty heart-stopping scenes... An all around worthwhile movie to see, if dark humor and crime is your type of flick...
Rating: Summary: Title Here Review: When I first saw the TV advertisements for this movie I became very excited, it looked good. When I finally got around to seeing it I was a little dissapointed at first. The film has a fair plot with really good acting, but for some reason it leaves you bored most of the time. The film was like a hollow apple, skin on the outside but nothing inside. Despite the lack of substance I loved the film. Benicio Del Toro and Ryan Phillippe made an excellent team. If you've seen and liked "The Usual Suspects" (also by Christopher McQuarrie) I think you will enjoy "The Way of the Gun". Both films have a similar use of language and film technique. If you like a good shootout the film is for you.
Rating: Summary: Brutal, uncompromising, and well crafted. Review: "The Way of The Gun"'s opening scene, with what may be the longest consecutive string of obscenities ever captured on film, is a wake-up call for unwary audiences who think they're watching just another crime thriller. This is a hard, nasty movie that pulls no punches, offers no heroes, and might just make you sick to your stomach. But it's one of the best-crafted crime films since McQuarrie and Bryan Singer's "The Usual Suspects," with strong performances and unusually sharp direction for first-timer McQuarrie. Benicio Del Toro and a surprisingly good Ryan Phillipe are Longbaugh and Parker, two jaded outlaws who think they've hit a big score when they kidnap the pregnant surrogate mother (Juliette Lewis, also better than usual) of a wealthy couple. Little do they realize that the parents-to-be have mob connections, and will do anything to get their unborn child back safe and sound. James Caan is fantastic as the more noble of Parker and Longbaugh's antagonists, a world-weary mob "bagman" with a certain code of honor. Complications mount, family connections are revealed, and the situation just gets uglier and uglier, leading to a nicely staged shootout in a Mexican brothel, an unexpected moment of grace, and a wickedly funny final line. "The Way of The Gun" is exceedingly graphic. Bullet wounds are hideous and messy, and the injured howl in agony rather than wince and keep on going. McQuarrie handles the violence unflinchingly but responsibly, unafraid to make gunfire sound frightening, or linger on the dead bodies of innocent bystanders. It's a refreshingly unglamorized portrayal of gunplay. McQuarrie also shows an impressive skill at coaxing good performances out of less-than-gifted actors, and has some nearly brilliant visual compositions, as the camera's revalation of a character previously standing outside of frame changes the whole context of a preceding scene. "The Way of the Gun"'s R rating should be taken seriously; this is a film whose funniest scene involves Russian roulette. But brave film fans seeking a searing, no-holds-barred dose of Western noir won't be disappointed.
|