The Way of the Gun 4K 2000

Christopher McQuarrie made a name for himself in 1996 when he won an Oscar for his screenplay for the cult classic film The Usual Suspects, which turned the plot of a crime thriller upside down.

The talented screenwriter fulfilled his directorial ambitions four years later, directing and writing the action-packed neo-noir film The Way of the Gun. Unfortunately, the film was not well received by critics and did not do well at the box office. Moreover, it did not even recoup the investment.

But time has put everything in its place. In the current era of stilted thrillers such as The Contract and Ransom, with scripts written on a napkin between eating the main course and waiting for dessert, The Way of the Gun is especially cherished for its well-thought-out plot, rich dialogue, attention to detail, and excellent acting. Not only James Caan's “monster,” but also his much younger colleagues, Benicio del Toro and Ryan Phillippe, who were then just showing great promise. And while Benicio later proved himself to be an A-list actor, his on-screen partner repeatedly made mistakes, appearing in projects that did not do justice to either their creators or him as an actor.

Although, in McQuarrie's film, Phillippe is undoubtedly wonderful. This is greatly helped by the brilliantly written characters — a couple of petty criminals who decide to take a desperate and dangerous step: kidnapping a girl who is carrying a child for a wealthy businessman with close ties to the criminal world.

With the birth approaching, each participant in the exchange deal weaves intrigues and pursues their own goals, while the plot inexorably moves toward a bloody denouement, filmed at the intersection of the styles of Michael Mann and Sam Peckinpah.

The shootout scenes deserve special mention: they are truly breathtaking, especially the final one in a dilapidated dive bar (bringing to mind The Getaway and The Wild Bunch), where all the armed gangsters finally converge and a hail of bullets begins.

And if McQuarrie had managed to maintain the set pace throughout the film, without making any lengthy stops, it would have been possible to give it a ten. But even an eight is a worthy result.