The Way of the Gun

2000
18
1h 59m

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

36K

YOUR RATING

Ryan Phillippe, Juliette Lewis, James Caan, Benicio Del Toro, and Taye Diggs in The Way of the Gun (2000)

Play trailer2:09

2 Videos

99+ Photos

Dark Comedy Action Crime Drama Thriller

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

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

36K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos2

Photos118

+ 110

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The unusual car chase scenes after the kidnapping were Benicio Del Toro's idea. He suggested this to writer and director Christopher McQuarrie after watching Cops (1989), where a couple of criminals did the same when cops were chasing them.

Goofs
The shape and size of the bandage (and the blood thereon) above Dr. Parker's right eye while he's in the truck stop restroom talking to Parker and Longbaugh.

Quotes
Longbaugh: There's always free cheese in a mousetrap.

Crazy credits
Henry Griffin is listed as P. Whipped. He is the guy whose girlfriend is yelling at Parker and Longbaugh and ends up fighting them, thus he is "P[ussy] Whipped."

Alternate versions
In Germany, a FSK-16 version was released and was cut. An FSK-18 uncut version was also released.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Nurse Betty/Turn it Up/The Way of the Gun/The Watcher/Dark Days (2000)

Soundtracks
Rip This Joint
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Performed by The Rolling Stones

User reviews349

Review

Featured review

Ode to Peckinpaugh -neo-noir pulp fiction

THE WAY OF THE GUN (2000) ***1/2 Ryan Phillippe, Benicio del Toro, Juliette Lewis, James Caan, Taye Diggs, Nicky Katt, Scott Wilson, Kristin Lehmann, Geoffrey Lewis, Sarah Silverman.

Christopher McQuarrie makes his directing debut in a big way with an obvious nod to Sam Peckinpaugh with his screenplay about two ne'er do well criminals (Phillippe and del Toro, both exemplary) who decide to make a mark for themselves by kidnapping a very pregnant surrogate mother (Lewis) to a wealthy businessman (Wilson) that eventually pans out to be a big mistake in a tangled web involving the woman's bodyguards (Diggs and Katt) and the bagman friend of the rich man (Caan in one fine, low-key performance of nuanced dread). More than enough rich dialogue and pinpoint camera angle set ups to go around with some live wire moments of unexpected turnarounds, double crosses and shoot outs may be the film's only fault in being an excess of too much of a good thing. A roundelette of pulp fiction best served by its exciting cast (as a side note, del Toro reminded me for some reason as a young Robert Mitchum in some scenes; go figure) and a filmmaker to watch.