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An Exercise In Nonsense

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I can see why Ryan Phillippe's career has stalled, his acting is horrible in this movie. I feel bad for Benicio Del Toro because is a a really good actor in a really bad movie.The dialogue is terrible. It seems the writer is trying to emulate the verbal minutiae of movies like Pulp Fiction but it comes off as just babbling. There is no cleverness to the exchange between characters.The actions of the characters are odd in the sense that many of the things they do don't seem to further the plot or character development. Violence for violence sake so to speak.Just avoid this turd of a movie.

Despite the cold-hearted nihilism of "The Way of the Gun" (a bleak movie to be sure), there's a scene that's always stood out to me. Ryan Phillippe and Benicio del Toro, guns loaded for an epic shootout, stroll into a brother full of lolling prostitutes. Phillippe clears his throat and the ladies take the hint and head for the door. It's such a subtle scene, but is also representative of the movie's overall sense of humor (excepting the punch to the face of Sarah Silverman in the opening scene, which is not at all subtle but still one for the ages).And there does exist an actual sense of humor, but you have to grit your teeth through the downbeat story to appreciate it. Phillippe and del Toro are like a woeful Butch and Sundance (in a Peckinpah world), and I love that the movie's nodding in those directions. There are plot twists and a good helping of pulpy dialog to keep things interesting, but this is one dark movie. Worth a watch? Absolutely.7/10

Parker (Ryan Phillippe) and Longbaugh (Benicio Del Toro) are two petty criminals with not much going for them. They come up with a scheme to kidnap surrogate Robin (Juliette Lewis) who is carrying a gangster's baby. She is under guard every moment by Jeffers (Taye Diggs) and Obecks (Nicky Katt).This starts with a pretty funny scene with a loudmouth Sarah Silverman pushing her boyfriend to fight Ryan Phillippe. She gets punched in the face and it's shockingly funny. I wish the rest of this is just as good. Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie has created something that is a little bit off. It's pulpy but it's way too much of a mess. It has a bit of action, but there are long stretches of boring inaction . It tries to be 'Pulp Fiction' but he ain't no Tarantino. But then who is? The dialog is stiff. Overall there is no likable character anywhere, not even Robin. There is no rooting interest. It is stretched out far too much after an interesting kidnapping start. McQuarrie is trying to do his own movie after the success of writing 'The Usual Suspects'. It shows some promise with some unusual touches. However this is a near miss overall.

"The Usual Suspects": brilliant, innovative, Oscar-winning screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie, creative low-budget directing from Bryan Singer, giving the film a visual flair and some overall superbly directed action scenes."The Way of the Gun": screenplay by and directed by McQuarrie himself. I thought: "this should at least be interesting? Del Toro is in it?" Yeah, let's watch that.The opening scene is, in my mind, a classic. It shouldn't be spoiled by trailers of people, so I'm not going to.Then the opening credits follow. They introduce us to the awe- inspiring score by Joe Kraemer, who's been composing for movies that are insulting to his dramatic abilities as a composer. The score, at that's no-one but the director's fault, practically saves a big chuck of the movie.The movie starts dragging before you realize it. But it's okay, at first, because of some truly brilliant, "it's-like-Mamet-had-sex-with-Tarantino"-"pieces of dialog writing."There's always free cheese in a mousetrap.""Karma's justice without the satisfaction. I don't believe in justice."And, my personal favorite:"The only thing you can guess about a broken down old man... is that he is a survivor." Wonderful performance by James Caan.Then you have two secondary characters (of which there are way too many in this film): Taye Diggs & White-Mexican guy. White-Mecixan Guy is the serious one. (always bad if you remember the name of the actor and not the character - no one says "Brad Pitt in Fight Club", they say "Tyler Durden says...") Ryan Philippe plays Parker. That name you'll remember after seeing his performance. Philippe surprised me. I only knew him from "IKnow What You Did Last Summer", which was more fun-then-freight, and "Cruel Intentions", a good and somewhat underrated attempt at modernizing "Les liaisons dangereuses". Sarah Michelle Gellar outplays him in that one, though.But in this he squares off with Benicio Del Toro's Longbough. Del Toro I first saw in The Usual Suspects. A whole string of great work followed: "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas", a short part in "Snatch." that stole the entire movie, a wonderful comedic performance in the underrated "Excess Baggage" and of course, "Traffic". An Oscar well deserved. Del Toro is the kind of actor who always stretches himself in his performances, always doing something new. In this one, he made the wise choice ("suggestion to McQuarrie" says IMDBtrivia) of keeping silent most of the time. Some of his facial expressions alone makes some scenes in this worth watching.So how come this movie started dragging after a good hour? It was a long wait for a shoot-out-ending which is, admittingly, fantastically choreographed and leaves the viewer with a climax to remember. But was it worth the long wait?The problem to me is that, visually, the film is quite boring most of the time. In terms of lighting, creating the "mood, feel, style, what have you" that a movie with this kind of script deserved. Now it's just people talking like they're living chess pieces, just there for the plot to take place.There is an occasional inspired shot, especially in the last half-hour when things start to get rolling again. All of a sudden you're paying attention again. Thanks to Dick Pope, D.o.p.Aaron Sorkin, whom McQuarrie could be if he went political, realizes his writing is basically "people talking brilliantly" and that he needs a competent director to make it visually interesting, fit for a film. That's why he lets others direct.McQuarrie hasn't directed a film since "The Way of the Gun", but he is writing again. I enjoyed his occasional fingerprint in "The Tourist", a movie I otherwise didn't enjoy at all. Let's hope him and Bryan Singer get together and do a crime movie together again. "Until that day then?" Until that day.