Cheap The Way of the Gun (DVD) (Benicio Del Toro, Ryan Phillippe) (Christopher McQuarrie) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Way of the Gun

It's one of those love it or hate it movies
Christopher McQuarrie deservedly won an Oscar a few years ago for his screenplay for The Usual Suspect. Not only did he pen the script for The Way of the Gun, he also chose the movie as his first directing effort. The result is not a great American film, but I do not feel, as some critics do, that it is a bad one. Most of the negative reviews concentrated on the violence in the movie, as if the level of it was unexpected. The fact is that The Usual Suspects was also quite violent. Guns, mayhem and macho misadventures are McQuarrie's stock in trade to date. The title itself should have been a warning. What sets him apart is his creative, twisted plot devices and his way-above-average dialog.

The story is dark and nihilistic. Parker [Ryan Phillipe] states at the beginning that he and his partner, Longbaugh [Benicio del Toro] are misfits whose only reason for existing is to survive. The pair learns of a wealthy, ruthless businessman who is paying a woman $1,000,000 to bear a child for him and is wife, simply because the wife does not want to go through pregnancy herself. The resourceful Parker and Longbaugh hatch a plan to kidnap the mother and unborn child and hold them for ransom. The scheme is fairly well thought out, but the men do not take into account the people they are dealing with. The businessman, Chidduck [Scott Wilson], has in his employ two bodyguards who do not like to lose. He also knows a hit man who he has used on several occasions. Parker and Longbaugh barely manage to capture their victim. Keeping her is no easy task, and getting the ransom is certainly problematic. None of the players in this cat and mouse game play by the rules. The result is quite a guessing game for the audience.

This is Ryan Phillipe's best role and performance to date. Like Brad Pitt, Phillipe's great acting abilities are hindered by a face that is just too pretty. He will probably have to prove himself over and over again. Benicio del Toro, who is also talented, does not have the pretty boy problem. Ironically, this fact will probably confine him to character actor status. Juliette Lewis does her best in the role of the victim, but it is a thankless part. It is difficult to play a woman nine months pregnant, much less one who is being held by two admitted sociopaths.

The Way of the Gun is one of those movies that people tend either to like or to loathe. I am one who liked it, despite its flaws, yet I can understand why it could repel many viewers. I don't think that this is because of the level of violence, which is high but not extraordinarily so by current standards. I think it is because the story and its characters are so nihilistic and because the movie strikes a chord in American society. We are schizophrenic in our view of handguns and assault rifles. The majority of us believe we have a right to own them but are appalled that some people use them for their intended purpose. The Way of the Gun suggests that we might be trying to have our cake and eat it too.

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The've got to be kidding...
What's the point of all the mayhem? I guess it really boils down to how one can really, really exploit a simple story line and then make it into a bloody trail and blow it to ridiculous proportions. In the middle of it all, I can only look at the time in my DVD player to find out how much time has elapsed (when is the piece going to end?). I did almost turn it off, but do not want to review something I really didn't completely finish. I couldn't even write a good review, because I'm now spending time writing this review. Just say I'm so dumbfoundingly left speechless.

Just don't waste your time on this one...there's too many movies where one can spend a relaxing afternoon. Life's too short for this one.

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Horrible
Usually even with a bad script, you can't go wrong with a high calibre cast. Taye Diggs, Benicio, James Caan, Juliette Lewis... all some of my top actors. But even so, McQuarrie manages to mess this one up. I blame the direction moreso than the storyline. I think the storyline could have been fixed with better direction. As presented, the story was very hard to follow not only in terms of cohesiveness but also in being able to keep my interest. I only watched it to the end out of sheer curiosity. I can't recall in recent memory seeing a movie with such potential fall on its face. Oh wait, there's Kill Bill 2 which actually is better than this one. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Instead do what I did and watch "Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag" which also was better than this one!