La critique de James Berardinelli (1)
Many will undoubtedly remark upon the similarities between The Way of the Gun and the films of Quentin Tarantino. However, while it would be disingenuous to assume that writer/director Christopher McQuarrie was not influenced by the likes of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, the real source of his inspiration seems to be coming from another direction. Watching The Way of the Gun, there are times when the presence of Sam Peckinpah's ghost is almost palpable. Although McQuarrie (the screenwriter for The Usual Suspects making his directorial debut here) lacks Peckinpah's polished style, the setting, characters, and unvarnished, visceral violence all pay homage to the late, great filmmaker.
The script for The Way of the Gun doesn't match that of The Usual Suspects for ingenuity, but it's a perfectly serviceable screenplay, filled with satisfying little ironic twists and turns. The dialogue doesn't sparkle á là Tarantino, but the characters aren't reduced to muttering mindless cliches. From time-to-time, McQuarrie gets a little too cute with his one-liners (for example: "Karma's only justice without the satisfaction"), but this tendency never represents more than a momentary distraction. Most importantly, he keeps the level of tension high and involves the audience in the story for the entire two hours. The ending is not telegraphed or pre-ordained; you have to experience the movie to get to it.
The Way of the Gun is populated by a gallery of amoral characters, so there's no real rooting interest. As with the classic Wages of Fear, this is a thriller where we don't need to like the characters to appreciate the suspense inherent in their situation. Parker (Ryan Phillippe) and Longbaugh (Benicio Del Toro) are the main characters - a couple of criminals who finally see their chance to strike it rich. All they have to do is kidnap a young woman, Robin (Juliette Lewis), from the protective custody of her four homicidal bodyguards.
She is the surrogate mother for the child of the wealthy Hale Chidduck (Scott Wilson), and he presumably will be willing to pay almost any sum to get her back. Unfortunately, there are a few things Parker and Longbaugh haven't reckoned with: Chidduck's deep criminal involvement ("he makes his living collecting other people's enemies"), and his right-hand man, Joe Sarno (James Caan), a grizzled old "cleaner" who knows all the tricks and isn't easily fooled or killed.
