The Way of the Gun

2000 "Choose your side carefully, because the only way out is the way of the gun."
6.6| 1h59m| R| en
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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.

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Reviews

Konterr Brilliant and touching
Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.
Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!
Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
bearsss Basically this movie is fine. It has one thing that bothered me the entire movie and that is, absolutely everyone in the movie is absurdly relaxed and "cool". Other than that this is a typical action movie with some very fun gun scenes.
StarWarsMoviesSuck Seems like 1999-2000 was an interesting period for movies with adult themes, but 'Gun' was the one that had to take on the Peckinpah Western (and fail)here are some highlights: -All innocent die quick, while the main chars are either criminals or selfish manipulators. -All the lead characters spout incoherent philoso-babble and hint at convoluted backstory elements in attempt to define their character -gratuitous violence that tries to convince you that it's realistic action -Bad acting - Ryan Phillipe is horrible throughout, while del Toro so pathetically tries to act like a subdued psychopath as his sidekick. James Caan and Tye Diggs do a good job at playing... James Caan and Tye Diggs -really poor plot progression - 'reads' like McQuarrie was too lazy to revise the script after the first draft
Mr-Fusion Despite the cold-hearted nihilism of "The Way of the Gun" (a bleak movie to be sure), there's a scene that's always stood out to me. Ryan Phillippe and Benicio del Toro, guns loaded for an epic shootout, stroll into a brother full of lolling prostitutes. Phillippe clears his throat and the ladies take the hint and head for the door. It's such a subtle scene, but is also representative of the movie's overall sense of humor (excepting the punch to the face of Sarah Silverman in the opening scene, which is not at all subtle but still one for the ages).And there does exist an actual sense of humor, but you have to grit your teeth through the downbeat story to appreciate it. Phillippe and del Toro are like a woeful Butch and Sundance (in a Peckinpah world), and I love that the movie's nodding in those directions. There are plot twists and a good helping of pulpy dialog to keep things interesting, but this is one dark movie. Worth a watch? Absolutely.7/10
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!