User reviews

For any action movie fans out there that love shoot-outs that hinder on the brink of insanity then this movie is for you. The plot was hard to understand in some parts yet it was still good and sometimes the motives were beyond the viewer's grasp but it still flowed well regardless. There were some kick ass quotes as needed in this genre of film and James Caan was simply awesome in his role as an aging bag-man. While I'm not a huge fan of Ryan Phillippe he actually was passable as this character and utilized a suiting accent. Benicio Del Toro was probably the best as his expressions and just the way he says things is unbeatable. Even though it was two hours long it seemed like only half that, so overall it's a great watch. My only warning is that if you're included in the faint of heart then this probably is one to avoid as this was definitely a dab of the good OL' ultra-violence!

Final Say:

Movies: Would've been enjoyable to see it there.

DVD Purchase: Based on how low it's currently priced I probably won't be able to help myself.

Rental: Come on, you know you want to!!!

From the very beginning, I knew I was about to see something I hadn't seen before. This movie is nuts! This is one of those movies that has you sitting at attention because it is absolutely unpredictable. The action scenes are great because they're a stray from the normal "heroes with impeccable aim" shootouts that we're all so used to seeing. Check it out so you could see what I mean. The acting is pretty good and that goes even for Ryan Phillipe, who I wanted to strangle until I saw this flick. What is up with that accent of his in this movie? Where the hell is he supposed to be from? Benicio Del Toro does better here than he did in Usual Suspects. Sorry Fenster fans, but Longbaugh is the man now. The only complaint I had with this movie was that it was a little hard to follow. It's very easy to get lost here but pay attention, gang. This movie deserves it. A hidden gem. **** out of *****.

It's like watching The Usual Suspects all over again. Of course, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie wrote that one also. Now, he is doing the whole thing. Yes, you can expect multiple twists and turns, and you will need a scorecard to follow the action.

Ryan Phillippe and Benicio Del Toro are just a couple of small timers that snatch the wrong baby. Why wrong? Because they now have to deal with Taye Diggs and Nicky Katt one one side, and James Caan and Geoffrey Lewis on the other. Either way, they are not likely to survive.

Scott Wilson (Sam Braun on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation") is the expectant father and boss of all these thugs. His wife, Francesca (Kristin Lehman) can't be bothered having a baby, so they hire Robin (Juliette Lewis) to have it. There is a lot more things going on, but that would be spoiling it. Suffice it to say that this will not end up as anyone expects.

Bullets fly throughout this film that features a great car chase and some outstanding dialog.

An under-appreciated jewel.

I used to like movies like: "The Matrix" and "Bad Boys". But I've grown very tired of violent conflict portrayed as easy, fun, moral, and without risk. This is a movie where all the violence is fearsome, difficult, and wholly unpleasant. As it should be, anything else really is dishonest and evil.

This is one reason i think most people don't like this movie. There are two more. One is a somewhat complicated plot. There are about a dozen characters and each one have different motives and I think most people can handle no more than 4 motives. The other reason is that the "main characters" are not the heroes of the story. They set the story in motion and keep it together but they are not who the movie is about and to tell a story in such an unconventionally roundabout way is entirely confusing for some people.

So you may not like this movie if...

You are uncomfortable with violence being violent,

You can't keep track of the motivations of 8 separate characters,

You automatically believe that the story is about the characters played by the actors pictured largest on the box.

otherwise you may really like this movie because it's really well made in all its aspects.

Written by the same dude who wrote The Usual Suspects, The Way of the Gun is a much simpler tale compared to the award winning Suspects. It tells of two small time crooks, played by Ryan Phillippe and Benicio Del Toro, who get entangled in a game of crooks versus crooks when they try to pull of a kidnapping.

Dreaming of bigger things in life, but regardless of the method used to achieve their dreams of riches, they overhear a conversation at a sperm bank clinic (one of the most happening dialogues in the movie happens there) about a surrogate mother bearing the child of some rich family. They decide to kidnap the lady, played by Juliette Lewis, and hold the mother and child hostage.

However, they embroil themselves into a bigger web of intrigue, as every character, from the mother, the husband and wife who employed her, the doctor, the bodyguards, to the "bagmen", all have their own agenda, and the relationships between one another must be one of the most complex written for the screen in recent times. Everything is more than meets the eye, and betrayals and double crossings are the agenda for the day.

The pacing is well measured, and there are moments of suspense masterfully injected at points in the movie. I like the initial hostage taking scene, where the sudden shift of focus and introduction of complexity catches our two anti-heroes Longbaugh (Del Toro) and Parker (Phillippe) completely off guard. The car chase and pursuit is also one of the more innovative and quirky scenes in the movie, one which Del Toro actually suggested, and got it made on screen. You have to watch it to believe.

The finale gives a kick to western shoot-em-up fans, as Longbaugh and Parker go head to head with everyone in a Mexican brothel, using modern day weapons of shotguns and handguns. Thrown into the mix is veteran James Caan, as a bag-man extraordinaire, having been so long in the business because of his experience in staying alive.

Del Toro and Phillippe exude an excellent bond of camaraderie between their characters - they trust nobody except for themselves, while I thought Juliette Lewis was terrific in her role as the very pregnant mother caught between both sides, and yet bringing out strength as she fights for her child's and her own survival, taking her interests in her own hands.

It's a good mix of action and workout for your brain as you figure out the relationships between the characters as the narrative moves along. Suited for those mundane afternoons in which you want to break out from.

No special additions in this Code 1 DVD.

What I fail to understand is why if "The Usual Suspects" was so incredibly popular (because it was so freakin' good), "The Way of the Gun" gets stepped on, both at the box office upon its initial release, and in various, snarky IMDb user comments.

This movie isn't just good. It's INTENSE. It's DARK. There's not a single character in the movie who's likable, and some viewers attack that like it's a bad thing. The story line is complex, the relationships between the numerous characters are subtle and nuanced; and still, some viewers attack that like that's a bad thing.

Just because a viewer doesn't understand something, doesn't make the film bad. It's a difference of opinion, absolutely, but that doesn't make "The Way of the Gun" a bad film. Au contraire, this is a very smart film... and when a filmmaker is making a smart film about amoral, gun-toting outlaws, the people who come to see that sort of movie are going to feel confused and angry. Because they wanted it to be simple. They wanted easy answers, a clear-cut good guy and bad guy, and a happy ending. The way movies have gone since film noir faded away, decades ago.

But this film is not so simple, and neither are the characters within it, nor is the plot. Chris McQuarrie refuses to write something so cut-and-dry, so black-and-white. It's taut, it's tight, it rides a bad vibe from the opening sequence all the way down to the last line. This film is so gritty it makes me feel dirty after watching it... McQuarrie may be a victim of his own success, because it was released in the aftermath of "The Usual Suspects," but if it built up an underground following like "The Killer," it would be on the shelf of must-haves next to John Woo, Guy Ritchie and any other art film your parents wouldn't approve of.

Every character has his own motive, has his own backstory, and not all are necessarily spelled out for you. The dialogue is wound so tight, it snaps: "Fifteen million dollars is not money. It's a motive, with a universal adapter on it."

I own this movie, and on a dark, rainy afternoon, I'll whip it out on the unsuspecting guest... "It's from the writer of 'The Usual Suspects'" I tell them. And from the opening scene, they're INTO IT.

It's not for everyone. But don't you dare call it a bad film. This is where YOUR favorite filmmaker steals all of his ideas.

This is one of the strangest films I have seen in a long time. Bloated and pretentious, it is like an oversized car that grinds to a halt, spurting occasionally into movement. Though humourless and cynical, it is an epic farce; epic because of the Western backdrop against which it is played; farce, because the whole project seems ready to collapse under its own earnestness, characters come and go unexpectedly, there's a lot of going in and out of doorways, the action shifts between distances thousands of miles apart, and yet the same characters seem to recongregate, as if some great big hand is moving the delf along a table.

I'm not able to tell whether 'Way of the Gun' is absurdly complex or foolishly simple. The major problem is the screenplay, which seems desperate to remind us of the plot's metaphysical depth, when, as Keaton and Melville have taught us, action is eloquent enough on its own.

Some have seen the film as a denunciation of violent cinema, cool macho gangster nihilism, as the sterile, masturbatory crooks (the chief of whom can't even have a baby with his wife) is contrasted with the simple values of maternity and fertility - when the enviably calm 'bagman' Joe Sarno walks in on Robin in labour, he seems momentarily struck with awe. He is the only character at the end not tainted by blood - after all, he is the cleaner - and McQuarrie doesn't seem to be making much distinction between the blood of a bursting mother and the wounds of a bunch of gunmen.

If the screenplay never transcends its own gaze, we can always concentrate of McQuarrie's directorial style. Some have compared the film to 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' (the narrator gives himself and his accomplice the real-life surnames of the outlaws), but 'The Wild Bunch' is as good a starting point as any - the alternation of thunderous gunfights with an unearthly calm; the dead-end masculinity; the ritual finale (when Parker jumps into the dry fountain full of broken beer bottles - ouch!); the rare feel for landscape and architecture.

The long central sequence in Mexico, where the plot overload seems to stand still, is a familiar Peckinpah device, as the men rejuvenate, take stock, reflect, although actual Mexicans are conspicuously sparse. Peckinpah was very much influenced by 'The Treasure of Sierra Madre', and like most Huston films, 'Way' is a hymn to failure.

What's surprising, though, for such a self-regarding wordsmith, is what a great action director McQuarrie is. The gunfights here are truly visceral, very 1970s, exciting and full of crackling guns, the best since 'Heat', and showing most Hollywood action thrillers up for the cartoons they are. The opening fight outside the concert is like a diabolic inversion of 'Grease', while the 'Battleship Potemkin' parody getaway with the pregnant Robin is extraordinary. As is the way the cold modernist sheen a la 'Claire Dolan' gives onto the old-fashioned dustiness of a Western. The music is terrific too, alternating melodramatic squalls of 'Usual Suspects'-like dread, with thrilling castanetas, as if the whole film is just one big corrida.

I can only comment negatively about one scene in the movie. I thought the movie was extremely effective in building up the intensity of certain scenes, however they used probably their most dramatic and climatic orchestra number for a scene where they simply dumped bags of money into a truck and drove off. My girlfriend and I stood confused as the music built up and built up, then finally climaxed. Didn't make a bit of sense to either of us.

With that said- I thought this movie was outstanding. Benicio Del Toro has this presence about him that radiates "coolness", and Ryan Phillippe did a remarkable job as well with his role. There were scenes in which hardly any dialogue was spoken, yet whole paragraphs were spoken through facial expressions. Thats a testament to the abilities of the actors right there. The double meaning of the game of hearts explanation was fascinating and fun to decipher.

Plots twists galore, not a single one of them predictable. The terminology was all new to me (i.e. bagman/dejudication I think it was...) and it made me feel like I was actually participating in the movie.

This is a thinkers movie, and some people may not be in the mood for that. The entirely creative car chase scenes and shoot out sequences are enough to satisfy the most mindless action fan, however.

This movie is just cool.

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-

Parker (Ryan Phillippe) and Longbaugh (Benicio Del Toro) are two petty criminals with not much going for them. They come up with a scheme to kidnap surrogate Robin (Juliette Lewis) who is carrying a gangster's baby. She is under guard every moment by Jeffers (Taye Diggs) and Obecks (Nicky Katt).

This starts with a pretty funny scene with a loudmouth Sarah Silverman pushing her boyfriend to fight Ryan Phillippe. She gets punched in the face and it's shockingly funny. I wish the rest of this is just as good. Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie has created something that is a little bit off. It's pulpy but it's way too much of a mess. It has a bit of action, but there are long stretches of boring inaction . It tries to be 'Pulp Fiction' but he ain't no Tarantino. But then who is? The dialog is stiff. Overall there is no likable character anywhere, not even Robin. There is no rooting interest. It is stretched out far too much after an interesting kidnapping start. McQuarrie is trying to do his own movie after the success of writing 'The Usual Suspects'. It shows some promise with some unusual touches. However this is a near miss overall.

"Way of the Gun" is the best western to come down that perverbial turnpike in a great while. Like the aging cynical worn out outlaws in Peckinpahs Wild Bunch, these modern day anti-hero's whether Old or young realize that sometimes life gives you that one chance. It is up to you to seize it . whether its kidnapping your fortune or giving birth to it we all soon realize that in the end we all come in the same way & go out the same way the difference being on how hard.

Although I know I am in the extreme minority "Way of the Gun is a much more complete film than Usual Suspects it is a metaphor for the careless way we lead our lives only realizing that the one most innocent and beautiful thing is life it self. Bravo Christopher a fine film indeed!!!

I'm torn on this film. I find some aspects of the plot to be pretty dumb, but then I find other parts involving characters to be really good. I liked it overall as a 'noir' action movie. Reminds me a little of a 'B' version of something LIKE 'No Country For Old Men'. Watch it if on cable or it is on your streaming service of choice.

I can see why Ryan Phillippe's career has stalled, his acting is horrible in this movie. I feel bad for Benicio Del Toro because is a a really good actor in a really bad movie.

The dialogue is terrible. It seems the writer is trying to emulate the verbal minutiae of movies like Pulp Fiction but it comes off as just babbling. There is no cleverness to the exchange between characters.

The actions of the characters are odd in the sense that many of the things they do don't seem to further the plot or character development. Violence for violence sake so to speak.

Just avoid this turd of a movie.

This film had a lot of great stuff to look for, but unfortunately, it lulled in spots, which is a downer for a type of Tarantino Resovoir Dogs type of flick. Writer and first time director Chris McQuarie has a lot of good things here, but he might want to consider a little editing though. There are, believe it or not, some not needed scenes here (maybe so, maybe not). But, lukcily, some of them are overshadowed by a better than average script and very credible actors: Ryan Phillipe and Benicio Del Torro make a good duo, Juliette Lewis is slutty yet charming in a pregnant role and most notably in one of his best roles, James Caan as a aging hitman who will get villain fans cheering. Exceptional action ending and it's actors almost make up for some boring points in this film and it is worth a look whether it is likeable or not. B+

"The Way of the Gun" is a gritty, messy, bloody, dark kidnap B-flick in which the entire cast of characters is somewhere between wanton and downright evil. The film's plot is a twisty-turny convoluted kind of mess which asks more questions than it answers and may interest or even seduce viewers with an appetite for blood and guts crime films. The shootout scenes are fairly well staged, the script waxes philosophical in an ambiguous sort of way, and the movie does sort itself out in the end. Certainly not for everyone, this peculiar flick will find an audience among those with an appetite for the bizarre.

Does one usually go into an action film starring Ryan Phillipe expecting to think, expecting to be challenged. I did not, in this case. And so, as I found myself confronted by this extraordinarily cool contemporary crime/western, I was shocked. This has all the makings of a generic film. The philosophical/amoral central team... could've been Pulp Fiction redux. The wise older criminal sharing his wisdom with those below him... If I really went into all the elements of this movie that could've been handled as shameless rip offs of other films, that list alone would take me over 1,000 words.

The brilliance of this film is that MacQuarrie, impressively directing for the first time from his own script, takes familiar elements, tired cliches, and breaths new, inventive life into them. This is a neat hat trick, and not an easy one. Godard did it with HIS first film, Breathless. Tarantino did it with Pulp Fiction. And MacQuarrie does it here. Note that the aforementioned instance is the only place where you will hear a mention of Tarantino similarities in this review. Those who would criticize Way of the Gun as being derivative of Taranton's film are missing the point and not really watching the film.

This film reflects an utter familiarity with the conventions of CINEMA. Of the things that go into a great film. Knowing those thigns so well, as Godard did, allows MacQuarrie to become freed enough to work with them, change them, and make them become something knew. It is quite an achievement, and this is quite an awesome film.

I love the shoot outs in this movie. Great gun play!

Wow, what a strange movie, even for the 21st Century. Why? Is one of the many questions audiences asked after they watched this film. Why did they make such a movie and why did we just watch it. You got yourself a kick butt cast of characters and some interesting dialogue that puts rational minds to shame. Still, the story line did nothing for the thousands of other bad stories that Hollywood has created in the past. I think many Pulp Fiction fans entered the cinema to see this one with big hopes and received nothing. If this went a little more independent, I think the audience with low expectations would have left the cinema more inspired and happy. Then again, it was a cool flick to watch when the cable box breaks down on a tuesday night!

The title itself is based on the samurai code Way of the Sword. You live by the gun/sword, you die by the gun/sword. Phillipe and Del Toro's characters are reminiscent of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Wild Bunch, and The Man with No Name. The two say so much without ever talking. Their facial expressions and personal ticks speak louder than words ever could. In a world with seemingly no law, these two men get in way over their heads when they kidnapp the wrong surrogate mother. She just happens to be the surrogate mother to one of the richest men with the most mob contacts. Violence and mystery ensue as we see there are no heroes. The grand finale is a shoot-out that ruvals that of The Wild Bunch.

Great gun play and action sequences but over long and boring in places..

The Usual Suspects, which McQuarrie wrote, is one of the all time great crime thrillers, so I was curious to see what else he has done, but this here neo-noir is a real pig. It is a pointless, violent flick in which pretty much every character is rotten and despicable down to the bone. OK, maybe Caan's and Lewis's characters have some redeeming qualities. But there is no one and nothing to root for. The story is silly (a screwball surrogate mom to a rich, corrupt couple gets willingly kidnapped by a couple of worthless losers/creeps, who are the heroes of the story) and much of what goes down is cliched and totally unbelievable. I wanted to be sanitized from head to toe after watching this.