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Amazon.co.uk Review
From the opening scene of Way of the Gun, writer and first time director Christopher McQuarrie (who also penned Academy Award winner The Usual Suspects) plays with the audience's allegiances: the guys who would be heroes (Benicio Del Torro and Ryan Phillippe) are immediately shown to have qualities which make us hesitate in supporting their cause--they punch women in the face. Del Torro and Phillippe are criminals and chancers. During a trip to a clinic to donate sperm (for a fee, natch), they prick up their ears when they overhear a conversation about a surrogate mother and her very wealthy sponsors. Soon they have kidnapped heavily pregnant Robyn (Juliette Lewis) and made off towards Mexico to wait out the rest of the gestation period. Inevitably, complications arise. What they don't realise is that would-be father, Hale Chidduck (Scott Wilson) is a criminal overlord whose many employees are determined not to see their master lose his money or his baby. James Caan plays Chidduck's right-hand man with avuncular charm. Like McQuarrie's earlier Usual Suspects script, this pacey yarn is full of complex twists and turns, with all manner of visual clues given in a look or a gesture. These subtleties and the squeak-and-you'll-miss-it dialogue keep audience involvement at a high level. The film is also full of beautifully put together set pieces edited with precision and wit--most memorable are a suspenseful low speed car chase and the shoot out at the film's climax. All these elements almost make you forget that you don't ultimately feel very emotionally involved with any of the characters: they're all on the make, but Del Torro was a bit of inspired casting, because there's just something about his eyes which makes you root for him whatever.
On the DVD . "I wanted to violate every rule of the sympathetic character" says McQuarrie in his humorous, irreverent and highly entertaining DVD commentary. The cast interviews included on this disc are disappointingly brief with irritating banner headlines introducing each point the interviewee makes. The biographies are adequate but hardly expansive, and although the director's commentary is highly entertaining, taken as a whole the disc's special features are nothing to write home about. --Emma Perry
DVD Description
DVD Special Features:
Director and Composer commentary
Isolated music score with composer's commentary
Cast interviews
Theatrical trailer
Cast and crew biographies
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding,
By Dancer (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Way of The Gun [DVD] [2000] (DVD)
Action movies with intellect are sadly thin on the ground, but this is a star. The principles are fairly competent criminals who chance across a possible big score. They act with some sense, ability and understanding to peruse their agenda's, but there are no `Swordfish' master criminals, or ludicrous John Woo gun fights.
The shoot outs really deserve a special mention. They were choreographed by the Director's brother an ex Navy Seal, and it really shows. This couldn't be further than the usual idiotic jumping through the air with pistols, hell they even reload. About every reviewer here has mentioned the `show car chase' and for good reason. Just watch it and see. The Way of the Gun is a story with a plot, characters, action. If you're more interested in those things than clapping your flippers at big explosions just buy it.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
worth buying!!,
By brusk (Putney, London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Way of The Gun [DVD] [2000] (DVD)
I was standing around in HMV opposite the 3 for £20 deal, looking for some new DVDs. I picked 'way of the gun' up and wasn't sure what it was. However having seen films with Ryan Phillipes and Benicio Del Toro, I had a good feeling about this title. The film opens with a dark but very funny seen, which kind of shocks you into wanting to keep eyes on the screen. from here on I was interested to see what the duo were going to gt themelves into. The story line is unique and this is supported by the deep and interesting characters. Unlike some films the entire story didnt revolve around the pair of criminals wanting to get their hands on fortune. It's good when other characters are explored. Having said this the way that Ryan Phillipe's and Del Toro's characters work together is done very intellegently. the way in which they use tactics with their weapons (the scene where they are being followed by the bodyguards is really clever). Anyway enough of this blabbering. If you like action, humour and scenes that will make you really think, this is a great film to watch! I recommend it!
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
top notch film,
This review is from: The Way of the Gun [VHS] [2000] (VHS Tape)
a great cast turn this film into something special. taking its cue from the hostage film sub-genre it adds 21st century details and some new observations which are sure to crop up in the genre's films for years to come - the stop-start car chase at the beginning for example. it begins with one of the funniest openings of recent years but it isn't a comedy, although it is quite light. after this it continues to weave a delicate plot with plenty of action set pieces, including a shoot out at the end that Peckinpah would have been proud to call his own. but it belongs to the director Christopher McQuarrie - the writer of The Usual Suspects. like that film, this is stylishly shot and innovative in its subject and substance. Phillippe is excellent, as is del Toro, but we've come to expect nothing but from one of the coolest men in the world. James Caan gives another excellent performance - as far as the acting and actors are concerned the key word is 'excellent'. overall, one of the most enjoyable and cool films of recent times.
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