Back home

The Way of the Gun

476 votes

Producing House

Two criminal drifters without sympathy get more than they bargained for after kidnapping and holding for ransom the surrogate mother of a powerful and shady man.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 2000-09-08

Runtime: 119 mins

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Spoken language: EspaƱol, English

Genres: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Original title: The Way of the Gun

Production Companies: Artisan Entertainment, Aqaba Productions

Production Countries: United States of America

Reviews

W

Wuchak
**_Convoluted crime drama in the wake of Pulp Fiction_** Two low-life criminals (Ryan Phillippe & Benicio Del Toro) kidnap a pregnant surrogate (Juliette Lewis) of a rich couple who, unknowingly, has ties to the mob. "The Way of the Gun" (2000) is an offbeat flick in the tradition of "Pulp Fiction" written & directed by a proven screenwriter and featuring a quality cast, which includes James Caan. It's touted as a "modern Western" with two protagonists patterned after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (their names in the film are the last names of Butch & Sundance). It starts out as a black comedy with cussing every other word, but then morphs into a serious crime drama with flashes of gunplay. The score is notable. Two issues hinder the film: (1) A plot that becomes convoluted and therefore increasingly unbelievable, and (2) unlikable characters, except for maybe the surrogate. Concerning the second issue, I understand the concept of antiheroes, but even antiheroes require 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 points naturally create disinterest and tempt the viewer to tune out. The first time I watched it I gave up by the 90-minute mark with a half hour to go, I could care less about the characters, their story or how it turned out, even though I tried. On my second viewing, I decided to pay closer attention and stick with the movie till the end. I'm glad I did because this is a well-written examination of crime & violence and the fools involved. An attempt is made to flesh-out all the main characters and I'm talking no less than nine people, each of whom are a piece of the interlocking puzzle, often with their own agenda. While it's no where near great like the seminal "Pulp Fiction," it has style and glimmerings of depth. If you can get past the convoluted story and unlikable characters, it certainly has its points of interest, like well-scripted dialogues and Del Toro's towering performance, not to mention Taye Diggs's interesting heavy. The film was shot in Utah in the Salt Lake City area. GRADE: B-
2023-01-20

Recommendations

Boyz n the Hood
3.8

Boyz n the Hood

1991-07-12

In the middle of the Los Angeles ghetto, drugs, robberies and shootings dominate everyday life. Duri

Paris, Texas
4

Paris, Texas

1984-07-16

A man wanders out of the desert not knowing who he is. His brother finds him, and helps to pull his

Out of the Past
3.8

Out of the Past

1947-11-25

The peaceful life of a gas station owner is disrupted when a man from his past arrives in town and f

Diamonds Are Forever
3.2

Diamonds Are Forever

1971-12-14

Diamonds are stolen only to be sold again in the international market. James Bond infiltrates a smug

The Shining
4.1

The Shining

1980-05-23

Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and

Face/Off
3.5

Face/Off

1997-06-27

In order to foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent undergoes facial transplant surgery and assumes the

Amores Perros
3.8

Amores Perros

2000-06-16

A fatalistic car crash in Mexico city sets off a chain of events in the lives of three people: a sup

Dirty Dancing
3.6

Dirty Dancing

1987-08-21

Expecting the usual tedium that accompanies a summer in the Catskills with her family, 17-year-old F

Beverly Hills Cop
3.6

Beverly Hills Cop

1984-12-05

Fast-talking, quick-thinking Detroit street cop Axel Foley has bent more than a few rules and regs i

Beverly Hills Cop II
3.3

Beverly Hills Cop II

1987-05-18

Axel Foley returns to the land of sunshine and palm trees to investigate the near-fatal shooting of

Snatch
3.9

Snatch

2000-09-01

Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookies, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers, and

Scarface
4.1

Scarface

1983-12-09

After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana s

Italian for Beginners
3.2

Italian for Beginners

2000-12-07

Several lonely hearts in a semi-provincial suburb of a town in Denmark use a beginner's course in It

The Big Lebowski
3.9

The Big Lebowski

1998-03-06

Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski, a Los Angeles slacker who only wants to bowl and drink White Russians,

The Untouchables
3.9

The Untouchables

1987-06-03

Elliot Ness, an ambitious prohibition agent, is determined to take down Al Capone. In order to achie

The Ninth Gate
3.2

The Ninth Gate

1999-08-25

A rare book dealer finds himself at the heart of a string of paranormal events when he is hired to f

The Usual Suspects
4.1

The Usual Suspects

1995-07-19

Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lo

Lost Highway
3.8

Lost Highway

1997-01-15

A tormented jazz musician finds himself lost in an enigmatic story involving murder, surveillance, g

Sketch
2.5

Sketch

2018-01-12

The fate of four friends, who work at a garage, witness drastic changes after they lock horns with a

GoodFellas
4.2

GoodFellas

1990-09-12

The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourho