Wuchak On the surface "The Way of the Gun" (2000) looks like a good, offbeat flick. It was written & directed by a proved writer and features a quality cast. In addition, the film is touted as a "modern Western" with two protagonists (term used loosely) patterned after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (their names in the film were the last names of Butch & Sundance).THE PLOT: Two low-life criminals kidnap a pregnant surrogate of a rich couple who, unknowingly, has ties to the mob.The film starts out as a comedy with cussing every other word and then morphs into a serious crime thriller-drama. The score is likably offbeat.Two problems hold the film back: (1.) A plot that becomes ridiculously convoluted and therefore increasingly unbelievable, and (2.) unlikable characters, except for maybe the surrogate. Concerning the second fault, I understand the concept of antiheroes, but even antiheroes have to have some redeemable or universally human qualities to make the audience root for them or care about them. Wolverine and Clint Eastwood's Western characters, like Josey Wales, are good examples, as are the antiheroes in films like "Runaway Train" and "Apocalypse Now," two cinematic masterpieces. These two problems naturally create disinterest. By the 90 minute mark, with only a half hour to go, I couldn't care less about the characters, their story or how it turned out, even though I really tried.To the film's credit, it has style and surprising glimpses of depth, but the absurdly convoluted screenplay and unlikable characters sink "The Way of the Gun." The film was shot in Utah.GRADE: C-

billcr12 Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and Christopher McQuarrie is obviously attempting to be Quentin Tarantino; he isn't close. A great cast is wasted by a convoluted story. Benicio del Toro is Longbaugh and Ryan Phillippe is Parker, and the pair travel together, scheming to separate people from their money. They hear about a surrogate mother carrying the future offspring of a rich guy and so they kidnap her in a shootout with her bodyguards. They demand $15 million to safely return the mother. It shifts to Mexico where the kidnappers are offered $1 million by Joe Sarno(James Caan), a go between, to walk away from the situation unharmed. The Mexican police become part of the program and we get more shootouts, some torture and a finale that looks like Peckinpah. The result is an o.k. crime drama; but don't expect Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction.

Dan Ashley (DanLives1980) It is very rare that a contemporary film can be called an all-time classic when it rises above its immediate competitors or succeeds the older generation of classics from which its inspiration was drawn. 'The Way of the Gun,' writer and director Christopher (The Usual Suspects) McQuarrie's crime-heist thriller unfortunately may never be accepted as a true classic for a number of reasons.It was such a superior film that it didn't have any worthy competitors, it was way too intellectual for mainstream audiences and the classics it was reminiscent of were the low-key off-mainstream B-movies no one without an outstanding knowledge of film would know of. Simply, this film is here to be appreciated by whoever will take a chance on it and those lucky few will strike gold.Two mismatched petty crooks - Mr Parker and Mr Longbaugh - live life on the road doing what they have to do to survive on the bare necessities but as Mr Parker states at the beginning of the film' "need is the ultimate monkey." Tired of finding ways to make easy money to provide for their needs, they happen upon a pregnant woman in a small town who seems to be the surrogate mother for a very wealthy man and his wife and decide it's about time they pulled off one most daring plan which would set them up for a long time.Staging a kidnapping and coming face to face with the surrogate mother's bodyguards, the plot explodes forth like a river through a bursting dam and suddenly the two petty crooks find themselves in over their heads as the expectant father turns out to be one of America's most powerful and dangerous crime kingpins.Enter Joe Sarno (Caan), a veteran "Bag Man" who has served the kingpin all his life, helping to protect his business and his finances. An old survivor who is as wise as he is guilty and who is intent on doing everything within his power to get the mother and her baby back with no collateral damage, with not a dollar less.As Sarno sets his sights on the two crooks and assesses the increasingly taut situation, the realisation that it could either be the making or complete destruction of everyone involved dawns over each single player involved and so begins a race against time as numerous secret agendas begin to rear their ugly heads.McQuarrie's film has everything audiences between the ages of 18 to 60 would appreciate; I say that because 'Way of the Gun' is not only reminiscent of violent '70's modern-day western crime thrillers, it features the kind of characters associated with those old classics and even features two of the era's most familiar faces, James Caan and Jeffrey Lewis to jog the memory.It is abusively funny and its general sense of humour is sly, if not just grim. The film's subtext skims across issues such as age and discontent, suicidal tendencies and what people will do for personal gain or merely to survive and the many reasons why. Its dramatic scenes are slowly unveiled, perfectly performed and so well timed.The cast is a powerful and heavy-set ensemble with Benicio Del Toro slinging his heavy acting weight around at will as a quiet but cunning criminal. The scenes between Longbaugh and Sarno are ingeniously fraught with charismatic cool and tangible tension and intimidation.And Ryan Phillipe admirably man-handling an assumed case of severe miscasting as his sensitive and misunderstood partner in crime; all his teenage dramas and tacky horror film roles are gladly thrown aside as he becomes a boy grown up too fast and clearly damaged by the things Parker has seen and done in his short and miserable life.Some very tense action scenes are executed finely and purvey a realistic sense of danger. To see the film go from edgy urban gunfights and car chases to all-out western-style stand-offs in the desert completes the picture and simplifies the general motive, allowing the plot to thicken of its own accord but rather than be all about gunfights and motives, the film delves deep into the desperate lives of its characters as time quickly runs out.By the end of the film, you've been through a roller coaster of human emotion, danger, abuse, intimidation and desperation and every single character has gone his or her own way, manipulating the issue for the sake of their own secret agendas. After all, the prize - fifteen million dollars - is not just fifteen million dollars. "It's a motive with a universal adaptor!" Because of 'Way of the Gun's almost impenetrable plot, its originality, wisdom and fast paced, hard hitting action, you will appreciate this film more and more every time you watch it. It belongs in every self-respecting film lover's favourites collection!

Cyril Julien Some films simply slip under the radar when it comes to accolades and praise, they remain almost cult or legendary in their status to a few. In a lot of cases these films are not "that" good, just simply have a special appeal to generate a cult following. But in the case of a special few like 'Millers Crossing' or 'Glengarry Glen Ross', these movies are truly amongst the leaders and very best in their field, to the point that as soon as the credits roll, you wonder how the hell you've never watched this before or why it didn't make greater box office or claim any major awards.The Way of the Gun is like the bastard child of a Western and a Gangster flick, holding many of the attributes of both genres and belonging to neither in whole. It centres around two wayfaring career-criminals who stumble into a kidnapping that leads to a great deal more than they bargained for. Every character in this film has game, everyone brings something motivated to the table with a twisted angle or a revelation. This movie oozes cool in almost every scene with Benicio Del Toro leading that emphasis with inspired panache! Ryan Phillippe has never performed this well again and both James Caan and Taye Diggs excel in their roles. If writer-director Christopher McQuarrie ever blesses us with another specimen presented as brilliantly as this then we should consider ourselves truly fortunate.If ever a movie was worthy of 10 stars, it's this one. Everything from the well paced, unfolding plot and the riveting chess-like gun-play to the awesome musical score that hits the nail on the head like Elmer Burnstein's Magnificent Seven or John Williams's Superman theme. A hidden gem that's well worth discovering for the first time as much as it is revisiting, superb!