In Chistopher McQuarrie's world, nothing is sacred, people don't grow within comfortable character arcs and violence happens at will. No heroes exist; there's just no room for them within the harshly real landscape he paints. In this, his directorial debut, no punches are pulled, when people are attacked or die, it happens with sudden finality, they bleed, the life runs out of them, the end. The Way of the Gun is a coldly nihilistic movie not concerned with the easy thrills and answers supplied by Hollywood. There is no heart to be found amidst the carnage and machismo. The Way of the Gun is also a skilfully drawn slow-burning, character-driven thriller, fully captivating in its self-assuredness.
Parker and Longbaugh are a duo of petty thieves who have long since given up on the world. They cruise through life engaging in petty scams, no longer interested in those around them, until one day, in the process of donating sperm, they overhear an intriguing conversation. Apparently, a young woman is being paid $1 million dollars to carry a child for the Chidducks, a rich couple. The two low-lifes kidnap her but unbeknownst to them the prospective parents have mob connections and things are never going to be easy with two well-armed bodyguards plus a crew of bagmen already on their trail.
The Way of the Gun is by no means light viewing. It involves patience, a strong constitution and – not necessary though very helpful – a hatred for all things politically correct. The average moviegoer will be shocked by the sudden, vicious outbursts of violence, not to mention the constant trashing of the afore-mentioned PC values. When people aren’t being assaulted, there is an intangible, stomach-churning air of impending doom throughout. Women, I have a feeling will mostly hate this movie, despite the presence of Ryan Phillipe. The female characters are either manipulative bitches (Chidduck’s young wife) or treated as nothing more than baggage (the pregnant Robin). The ending combines all of these things to brutal effect, with the slow build-up to this shoot-out making it all the more unbearable.
As we all know, Chris McQuarrie sprang to fame – however much fame a writer can indeed achieve – as the warped genius behind The Usual Suspects, a movie so intensely labyrinthine, NOTHING could be taken on face value. With The Way of the Gun, he has taken the opposite route - while retaining at least something of the subtlety resident in TUS – creating a movie that fills the screen with its sordid life. His writing is viciously sharp and unforgiving; the characters forged through it defined clearly. They have their own agendas and will do anything to achieve them. Meanwhile, in the director’s chair, McQuarrie shows some real visual flair, painting the world that these people inhabit with a cold, empty pallor, suiting the movie’s general disposition perfectly. The action scenes are where he really excels though, from the startling, jaw-dropping opening to the creative, tension-filled alley chase, to the sustained finale. Every gunshot resonates clearly, loud, harsh snaps filled with dreaded certainty. What makes it all the more thrilling is the fact that EVERYONE is expendable, there are no real good guys here, with the exception of Robin who is merely someone in the way.
Although Ryan Phillipe and Benecio Del Toro are the nominal leads, The Way of the Gun is first and foremost an ensemble piece. Everyone contributes with a brilliant, concise performance. Phillipe is a criminally under-rated actor. Most of his critics look at his pretty-boy veneer and dismiss him instantly, but he has proved himself time and again especially when one considers the material he is given – with the exception of the horrendous mess 54, a movie no one escaped from unscathed. Here he does no wrong, all memories of the teen idol vanquished as he gets under the skin of Parker, a man who is quite prepared to do anything, for whom human life means nothing if it gets in his way. Del Toro is his usual enigmatic, magnetic self, playing the composed Longbaugh, a man who rarely loses his cool, his every move is calculated, his eyes always on the prowl. Around them in a faultless cast, James Caan shines most prominently. He plays Joe Sarno, bagman and long-time associate of Hale Chidduck. He is an old-time boy, a “survivor”. Caan brings the man to life, a man full of world-weariness and quiet menace. He has seen everything and isn’t about to be pushed around by “the new crowd”.
At the end of the day there isn’t much more I can say about this movie. It made absolutely nothing in the American box office, sinking without a trace for obvious reasons – which, is actually a good thing. More often than not, if a movie makes a lot of money in the States, it is a clear sign of moronic mainstream tendencies, pandering to the lowest common denominator. The Way of the Gun will never win any awards either, pretty much for the same reasons. It is too busy being its own movie, not remotely interested in any Hollywood convention. If you really loathe and detest the well-thumbed mainstream cliché catalogue, this movie will come as a fresh breath of air, just don’t expect to leave the cinema whistling a happy tune. |
