The Way Of The Gun (2000) Movie Review

The Way of the Gun is an ultraviolent, dirty and twisted ransom film. Longtime crime partners Parker (Phillippe) and Longbaugh (Del Toro) were hoping for a simple and quick payoff when they abducted Robin (Lewis), a young woman carrying the child of a powerful crime couple. It proved to be more complicated then they expected. The two partners have to deal with two square bodyguards (Diggs and Katt), the police, an aging philosophical mercenary (Caan) and feelings they both have for Robin. As the moment for the ransom exchange approaches, Parker and Longbaugh must battle not only well-armed men, but also their own conflicted emotions that they are feeling for the first time. The Way of the Gun is a very bloody, but mostly amusing film that reminded of a mix between Suicide Kings and Desperado.

Christopher McQuarrie wrote and directed The Way of the Gun. McQuarrie previously won an Oscar for writing the incredible crime story, The Usual Suspects. This script by McQuarrie does have a few of the same type of twists and niches that The Usual Suspects capitalized on. However, The Way of the Gun does contain some dryness, which is something that The Usual Suspects didn't have. Even though I didn't not like the voice-over by Parker in the film, I thought that the characters and metaphors in the writing were effective. The best metaphor in the film is when Longbaugh relates loneliness and isolation to a card game of hearts. There is also a few scenes that were capitalized by the characters' actions (and the actor's body language) that reveals what the characters' intentions are without saying a single word of dialogue. The last twenty minutes of the film does fall into the mode of being a graphic and violent blood bath, but there are even some aspects in the last twenty minutes that are original ideas from McQuarrie. His direction seemed to be okay with a sort of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino touch to it.

Ryan Phillippe is an actor that seems to be getting better, but I am still not impressed with his acting as Parker. On the other hand, Bencio Del Toro is a fine actor that has a simple way of expressing his thoughts and actions through his body language and driven eyes. Juliette Lewis doesn't turn in her best performance, but is substantial as the pregnant Robin. I also thought that Taye Diggs was striking only when he didn't speak any dialogue as Jeffers, but I saw him as flaky when he did utter some dialogue. The best performance and characterization in the film is by James Caan. Caan is an actor that I haven't seen deliver good work in a long time, but I thought that he was superb in The Way of the Gun. He has sort of a rough but relaxed way of playing the aging mercenary Joe Sarno that ends up being a joy to watch.

The Way of the Gun is a movie that people might call a copycat of Reservoir Dogs, in which it is similar, but different.