The Way of the Gun poster & wallpaper

Benicio Del Toro, Ryan Phillippe, Nicky Katt

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

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71% liked it

26,069 ratings

Critics

48% liked it

103 critics

R, 1 hr. 59 min.

Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie

Release Date: September 8, 2000

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DVD Release Date: June 19, 2001

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Stats: 1,149 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,149)

  • SirPant
    September 14, 2009
    SirPant
    It's like a modern day western without any Tarantino crap. It's clever, witty and very cool!
  • madmac17
    August 4, 2009
    madmac17
    I don't know how this flew beneath my radar for the last 9 years, but I have the denizens of the IMDb message boards to thank for bringing it to my attention. If you're a fan of The Usual Suspects, you probably know that Christopher McQuarrie wrote the screenplay for that film. W...( read more)ell, he not only wrote the screenplay for The Way of the Gun, it's also his directorial debut, and he comes out swinging for the fences. The film stars Ryan Phillippe and Benicio Del Toro as two criminal drifters named Parker and Longbaugh, and right from the opening scene when they walk out of a night club into a parking lot full of trouble, you get the feeling that this is not going to be your garden variety action flick. Sarah Silverman has a cameo in the scene as Raving Bitch, and the profanity-laced diatribe she spews at Longbaugh for sitting on her boyfriend's car has to be heard to be believed. Of course, she has no idea she's dealing with two 'don't give a shit' sons of bitches who would just as soon punch your lights out as look at you, but she soon discovers this. And even though Parker and Longbaugh end up getting the shit kicked out of them by the whole parking lot crew, it shows us something about their nature. They back down from no one and nothing. I'm not going to go into too much detail about the plot, since one of the joys of the movie is discovering all the twists and turns, and surprises that unfold along the way. Suffice it to say that Parker and Longbaugh overhear a conversation that leads them into what they believe is their one-in-a-million, chance of a lifetime shot at striking it rich. This involves a plan to kidnap a surrogate mother named Robin (Juliette Lewis), who is carrying a baby for the wife of a rich and powerful man named Hale Chidduck (Scott Wilson, In Cold Blood). During the kidnap attempt, they come up against two bodyguards named Jeffers (Taye Diggs) and Obecks (Nicky Katt) who would 'rather die than lose', and later they have to deal with fixer/bagman Joe Sarno (James Caan) and suicidal hitman Abner Mercer (Geoffrey Lewis, real-life father of Juliette). At almost every opportunity, McQuarrie takes conventional thriller situations and turns them upside down to create something fresh and unexpected, including what has to be the slowest car chase in movie history. And I'm still not sure how Robin winds up alone in the hotel room holding a shotgun, with Parker and Longbaugh outside. I'll have to pay closer attention next time. The thing I love most about the film, other than the great performances and the fact that it has a climax that does Sam Peckinpah proud, is that none of the characters are mere cardboard cutouts. They're all considered to be important, they all have their fair share of screen time, and they all have their own plans about how to handle the situation they've been thrown into. Unfortunately for most of them, they weren't present to hear Parker's pearl of wisdom that "a plan is just a list of things that don't happen".
  • evillincoln
    April 3, 2009
    evillincoln
    boring
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    June 27, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Dumb, with some ocassional good moments. A movie is suppose to be more than just a compilation of "cool" dialogues. And i blame Tarantino for making so many people believe that.
  • DrZeek
    June 26, 2008
    DrZeek
    Joe Sarno: So, you the brains of this outfit, or is he?
    Longbaugh: Tell ya the truth, I don't think this is a brains kind of operation.

    The longest distance between two points is a kidnapper and his money. Basically sums up the movie. A kidnapping plot that is mixed with lots o...( read more)f twists and convoluted plot points that make me enjoy it more. The dialog is also what makes this movie great to me. A lot of it is very funny,

    Longbaugh: I've... never killed a man.
    Interviewer: I beg your pardon?
    Longbaugh: I said I never killed a man.
    Interviewer: I didn't ask if you had.
    Longbaugh: You asked why I thought I was qualified, I think of that as qualification.

    Some of it is insightful in its own sort of way,

    Hale Chidduck: Do you believe in karma?
    Joe Sarno: Karma's justice without the satisfaction. I don't believe in justice.

    and with that, the movie is also fun to me. It plays a lot like a western themed movie, but plays against a lot of Hollywood conventions, the car chase done here would be a great example of this. The gunplay is also awesome, realistic and very cool to watch.

    Ryan Phillippe and Benicio del Toro star as the leads, two low lives, who try to make it big with a not-too-planned out kidnapping. Juliette Lewis plays the victim, who is a surrogate mother for the man who needs to pay the money. James Caan is awesome as a bagman, who has to resort to his own means to get back the woman. And Taye Diggs and Nicky Kaat play to bodyguards concerned only with winning.

    Longbaugh: You know what I'm gonna tell God when I see him? I'm gonna tell him I was framed.

    From the writer of the Usual Suspects, Christopher McQuarri, I like this film more because of the way these characters handle the subject manner. What's also enjoyable, is that the movie plays out a lot like a western as mentioned, having two anti-heroes going after what they want, mixing it up with tough guys along the way, complete with a soundtrack playing tribute to Ennio Morricone. A movie that has it's own sort of groove, and is one of my favorites.

    Longbaugh: What do you think?
    Parker: I think a plan is just a list of things that don't happen.
  • yona71
    November 8, 2009
    yona71
    A brilliant film of two criminals portrayed by Benicio Del Toro and Ryan Phillippe who hold a surrogate mother for ransom as they seek an ultimate fortune.
    The acting is first rate by Del Toro, Phillippe, and James Caan as the opposing professional hitman, and the "gunplay" scen...( read more)es are very well executed allowing for optimal suspense.
    The end scenes shot in New Mexico are reminiscent of the spaghetti westerns, but differ in a modern, realistic look at the violence that may result from these situations.
  • lesleyanorton
    September 23, 2009
    lesleyanorton
    This film didn't really work for me. None of the characters was likeable, there was a hell of a lot of shooting (clue in the title) and I've never seen a pregnant woman waddle quite like Juliette Lewis. Plus a C-section-during-gun-battle scene... ugh.
  • UhnTisUhnTisUhnTis
    September 22, 2009
    UhnTisUhnTisUhnTis
    I just watched this. It was pretty funky and really fucked up. I loved Sarah Silverman getting punched in the face, at the beginning. The dialogue was pretty funky, and I'm not sure what the whole thing was with Del Toro and Phillipe, but they seemed like a pretty good team. I wa...( read more)sn't sure whether they were supposed to be family, friends, lovers or what thee fuck, during this movie. They had an interesting ideology, though. I think thats the kind of thing most people wish they could do; no ties, no attachments, no material possessions, just living life on a tightrope.
    A lot of it was kinda bland, I guess, but the dialogue and the ending were great. The ending was, I'm told, an homage to Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. It seemed like one of the longest movie shootouts ever, but I thought it was fucking awesome.
    I think I might need to watch this again haha
  • goblin11782
    September 3, 2009
    goblin11782
    for some reason i like this movie...but i really want to watch it again to find out why
  • gaveme2
    August 12, 2009
    gaveme2
    Must See..another good one

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Critic Reviews

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

At first you're surprised when you get the rug pulled out from under you. Eventually, if you're a quick study, you stop stepping on it. full review

View more The Way of the Gun reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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The Way of the Gun Trivia

  • Who are the two lead actors in "Way of the Gun"?  Answer »
  • What two actors play the parts of Longbaugh and Parker in "The Way of the Gun"?  Answer »
  • In which film does James Caan speak the following line? "Fifteen million dollars is not money. It's a motive with a universal adaptor on it. "  Answer »
  • Leslie Nielsen says the following in which film? "No... you're right, Ed. A parachute not opening... that's a way to die. Getting caught in the gears of a combine... having your nuts bit off by a Laplander, that's the way I wanna go."  Answer »
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