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THE WAY OF THE GUN
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars: Ryan Phillippe,
Benicio Del Toro, Juliette Lewis, Taye Diggs, Scott Wilson, James Caan
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic Transfer
Studio: Artisan Entertainment
Features: See Review
Length: 119 Minutes
Release Date: January 2, 2001
Film ****
Of all the movies
released this year, Christopher McQuarrie’s The Way of the Gun is the
one film of the year that I will instantly dub “The Best Film of the Year that
Nobody Saw.” Why this film slipped past audience’s fingers is a mystery to
me. It had an appealing cast, an attention-grabbing plot, and was the
directorial debut of the man responsible for the brilliant screenplay of one of
the greatest movies of the 90s, The Usual Suspects. One could easily
assume that this was inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s work, but this film seems
more inspired by the work of maverick filmmaker Sam Peckinpah. This is an
extremely violent, bloody movie, and the visceral violence in The Way of the
Gun is very reminiscent of the cutting edge violence of Peckinpah’s
classic The Wild Bunch. Another pleasure I found in this movie is the
fact that there’s no real protagonist. Nearly all of the central characters
have some deviant trick up their sleeve, providing an endless series of double
crosses.
The film’s
pre-credit opening will definitely give you a taste of what the movie is. The
two lead characters, played by Ryan Phillippe and Benicio Del Toro, ignite an
unexpected brawl outside a night club after a man’s hot tempered girlfriend
threatens both of them very explicitly for leaning on her man’s car and
setting off the alarm. It is a riotous moment that is likely to leave you with
your jaw to the floor. We then a voice over by Phillippe, which opens with one
of the most perfect voice over introductions I’ve ever heard. “For the
record, I’ll call myself Mr. Parker, and my associate will be Mr. Longbaugh.”
We are then lured into the two’s criminality world.
Parker and Longbaugh
are two young criminals who are concerned with only one thing: making a big time
score. Parker points out in narration, “It was clear to us that we had nothing
to offer the world, so we stepped off the path, and went looking for the fortune
that we knew was looking for us.” Their first attempt to gain some income is
at a sperm bank, where they overhear a conversation about a millionaire whose
seed is being brought to term by a surrogate mother (Juliette Lewis). They soon
construct a plot to kidnap the pregnant woman, right under the clutches of her
personal bodyguards, and hold her for a high ransom. They take her to a remote
location in Mexico, and then demand a $15 Million ransom from the
soon-to-be-father. This puts not only the bodyguards, played by Taye Diggs and
Nicky Katt from Boiler Room, on their tail, as well as local law
enforcement, but that of a grizzled old bagman and enforcer named Sarno, played
wonderfully by James Caan. Sarno is relied upon by the millionaire (Scott
Wilson) to handle negotiations with the kidnappers.
A lot of movies can
dish out ugly violence and nothing else, but not in The Way of the Gun.
What we get is not only the most outlandish, gory violence to be seen in any
recent movie, but a lot of plot as well. Much like his Usual Suspects
screenplay, Christopher McQuarrie layers this story with some surprising twists,
unique insight into criminal motivations, and wonderfully written dialogue
delivered by very well developed characters.
The performances are
big factor in the success of The Way of the Gun. Ryan Phillippe, for one,
surprised me with a breakthrough performance as the amateurish and risk taking,
but smart-thinking Parker. Phillippe is a young actor whose known mostly to the
teeny-bopper audience who are familiar with his work in such films as Cruel
Intentions and I Know What You Did Last Summer. His performance here
is reminiscent of a young Christopher Walken. He delivers his dialogue in a tone
that also resembles, at times, a young Al Pacino, even. With this film and his
dynamic work in 1998’s Playing By Heart, Ryan Phillippe has arrived as
a serious big time actor, breaking free of his clean teen image, which is a
smart move on his part. Del Toro, who made a breakthrough performance in The
Usual Suspects, is wonderfully smooth and cool as the partner in crime. And
veteran James Caan, who shows no sign of slowing down in his age, is ultra-cool
in his portrayal of a man who knows every possible angle and double-cross that
lingers in a dangerous situation.
The action scenes in The
Way of the Gun are of the highest order and quality, and they feel real.
When a character in this movie is shot, a lot of blood is shown, and I mean a
lot! The climatic showdown which takes place in a rusty Mexican hotel is one of
the best staged shootout scenes I’ve ever seen, ranking with that of Heat
and even some of the work of John Woo, though this movie doesn’t contain some
of the gravity-defying stunts you would find in a Woo film. Numerous characters
are shot even in places nobody wants to be shot at if you know what I mean, and
I was blown away by that as well.
The Way of the Gun
is sheer movie entertainment at its best. Those who appreciate both crime
pictures, as well as films with deeply complex plots are in for a slam-bang
treat of a movie. With this film, Christopher McQuarrie has arrived as a unique
film director, in addition to writing incredible labyrinth-like tales for which
he won a much deserved Oscar for in 1995 with The Usual Suspects. The
Way of the Gun may have unfortunately missed its mark in theaters, but it
has scored very high on this sharpshooter’s best film of the year list.
Video ****
Artisan has delivered
by far its best disc to date. The transfer for The Way of the Gun is of
stellar and supreme knockout quality. The anamorphic transfer is 100% clear is
right on target for the entire viewing. The film mostly takes place in desert
landscapes, and the view of the desert comes through in bright yellows and light
oranges. Not a single ounce of grain is detected in this presentation. A
thoroughly remarkable job!
Audio ****
Never before has
gunfire sounded so lively on a disc. The 5.1 Dolby Digital transfer for this
movie ranks as Artisan’s best audio job as well! Everything, from the music,
to the dialogue, and especially the gunshots come through remarkably and is sure
to ignite some jaw-dropping reactions. The sound quality has such a high impact,
that I nearly jumped from my chair each time I heard a gun fire. Other than Ronin,
I’ve never heard gunfire blast through my speakers in such huge super-quality
sound.
Features ***1/2
Artisan has become a
pro in the features area, and on The Way of the Gun, they dish out the
goods as usual. Included on the disc is a commentary by Christopher McQuarrie
and composer Joe Kraemer, an isolated music-only track along with commentary by
composer Joe Kraemer, interview segments with cast and crew members, a script
and storyboard presentation of a deleted scene, a trailer and several TV spots,
and some cast and crew information.
Summary:
The Way of the Gun
is a daring and blazingly entertainment package, filled with razor-sharp wit,
fueling intensity, dark humor, and some brilliantly unsettling violence. It’s
definitely not for the squeamish, but for those looking an intense,
action-packed ride, this is the ultimate ticket.