LeonLouisRicci Hard-Boiled Neo-Noir that was mostly Panned and a big Flop. Oscar Winner Mcquarrie (Writer/The Usual Suspects) now Pens and Directs this gritty, unpleasant, edgy, Violent, and absolutely underrated Movie. This is uneasy stuff, peppered with realistic Gun-Play filled with bloody mayhem. It is all done with wit and without clichés such as Slow-Motion or Shaky-Cam.It is Dialog Driven fueled by Ultra-Violence along a road filled with unappealing Characters, Backstabbers, and Slimy/Greedy Money Men. The most sympathetic is a Bag Man/Cleaner, played with impassioned intensity by James Caan ("You can assume one thing about a broken down Old Man...He's a survivor.").Also the Audience may feel compassion for Juliette Lewis who pulls out the stops here as an about to give Birth pregnant Woman that is central to the Plot. The two Leads pull together and are despicable but if you pay close attention there is a spark of Humanism way down in their Souls. This is not meant to be a good time Movie, but there is some Fun in watching this Stylish display of Gangsters and Street Criminals. A Film that is an energetic, Craftwork that was unfairly dumped on by Critics who must have missed the Originality and Knee-Jerked this into Rip-Off-Land. Not so. This is a somewhat new take and a fresh Story on some very rotten People. A must see for Fans of sharply Written Dialog and spiked up shoot-outs, all done quite well in this blackest of Black Comedies with a Heart of Darkness.

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!

chucknorrisfacts Ryan Phillippe isn't a very good actor, especially in this movie. He's completely and totally miscast in his role...now maybe that's not his fault, after all, they do have casting directors who are supposed to determine who is right for what roles, but you still can't let Phillippe off the hook for thinking he could play a part like this...He spends most of the movie using some sort of weird voice, it almost sounds like he's trying to channel vintage Pacino or something. Whatever it is, it doesn't work and he sounds like a moron.Now, I can buy Benecio Del Toro as a badass. He's greasy. He's tired-looking. He doesn't say much. But, he's also not very interesting. Just because you're a badass doesn't mean you're very much fun to watch and he certainly isn't.Also, someone needs to tell James Caan it's not 1972 anymore. He just shouldn't play a badass these days. It just looks ridiculous...I know he says something in the movie about how even though he's an old man, that just proves he's a survivor...or some crap like that, but, to me, it just seems like he's making excuses for looking like a nonthreatening old fart and hopes that by saying something like that he might con (or is it Caan?) a few people into still thinking he's tough.The only part of this movie worth watching is at the very beginning where Sarah Silverman gets punched in the face for being a mouthy rag. It's all downhill after that.

lastliberal 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.