This is one of those films that I like and I loathe, and I'll try to explain it why. Get ready...
First off, what I love about this movie.
I love all of the actors especially Phillippe and Del Toro who turn in excellent performances as our two anti-hero protagonists, and of course, James Caan is the usual cool as ice character he normally plays. Nicky Katt and Taye Diggs were simply awesome as the homicidal bodyguards who mostly let their actions speak louder than their words. I love the directing, Christopher McQuarrie, the writer of The Usual Suspects, one of the best movies of all time, takes the helm as a first time director and does a remarkable job. The gunfight at the end has some of the most impressive editing I have ever seen, and the whole movie is shot very well, especially for a first time director. Speaking of the gunfights, I have to admit this, though I absolutely loved the psychological mind tricks of The Usual Suspects, and though this one has a few, somewhat sophomorish in comparison plot twists as well, what suckered me into buying this one after seeing it in the theaters were the intense and realistic gunfights. Realistic as in there aren't any superhero a la Ahnold scenes where our heroes simply mow down the 'bad' guys, our heroes get pretty shot up during the course of the film, and especially in the end where Ryan Phillippe finds a nasty surprise after he vaults into an empty fountain. Also, I was amazed at how accurate the filmmakers were with the authenicity of the guns themselves. First off, there was no editing for the noises, those loud bangs you hear are the actual gunshots fired in real time by the actors. I remember seeing this in the crappy college theater a few years ago...the gunshots literally shook the theater...I'm not kidding, they would make you jump out of your seat, which to me is incredible. That kind of authentic detail is what really sold me into buying this movie, and plus, these guys carry Colt 1911 .45's, which each can hold a clip of 7 rounds...during the gunfights, they reload constantly, and you can count shot for shot, the 7 bullets almost everytime (except for one scene where Benicio is laying on the ground after being shot...minor gripe if anything), call me fastidious or obsessed with detail, but this was one of the few actioners that had gunfights that didn't have me groaning at some huge Hollywood inaccuracy. You can tell the actors had fun 'shooting' (no pun intended!) these scenes, and the sound is incredible.
Okay, those were the good points of the film, now onto the reasons why I can't give this one an 8 or a 9 rating.
I can sum up my biggest complaint with this movie in one word. Pacing. Pacing, or lack there of. The beginning and end are very exciting, it's just that the middle 45 minutes or so can simply drag on and on. There are times where the actors are speaking, and there is too much 'think' time and idle pauses to truly get involved with the scene. I know some people don't mind this, but it drove me insane, I mean the film is around 2 hours, but it really feels like a 3 hour movie. They could have trimmed this one to 90 minutes, and it still could have been a good movie. You'll know exactly what I'm talking about if you watch this one...you'll go from one exciting gunfight to a scene where two characters are overanalyzing the plot and talking at their leisure about their view on the situation. Also, there are scenes that make their point within the first 10 seconds, but drag on, with the same camera frame focused on the same character, usually just sitting there staring into the distance (like that freaky scene with the trophy wife staring at the ultra sound for like 5 minutes). It is well directed, just poorly edited, which really kills the momentum of this flick. The Usual Suspects had a wonderfully brilliant storyline that threw the viewer into a million twists and turns, yet, at a very exciting pace. The Way of the Gun is similar, in this respect, yet, it will drag on and on and on until you feel like screaming at the TV, enough already!
Like The Usual Suspects, McQuarrie provides many plot twists and turns, however he kind of goes overkill. I mean, after a couple of viewings, I understand the whole plot, but to me, it is not really 'brilliant'. We find out these plot twists not through intuition or a keen eye, but through the character's discussions, which last at least half of the movie, and often have a bunch of pointless filler. I could tell some scenes (such as when they are playing hearts and Del Toro is explaining the rules of the game...which is supposed to be symbolic of the situation) were trying too hard to be inteligent or have a hidden meaning. Also, in the beginning, we are treated to a series of scenes which sure as heck reminded me, and others as I've read the reviews, as another Pulp Fiction type movie. I'm sorry, but the beginning screams of Pulp Fiction...the witty dialogue, the over the top violence in the beginning, the absolutely funny one-liners given at the sperm bank...hey, don't get me wrong, I loved this part of the movie, yet it is so out of place and is misleading to the viewer. I'd say the movie is wonderful up until the kidnappers leave the gas station after seeing the doctor (who by the way is a really bad actor). From there, you have about a 45 minute lull that is interesting at times, but will bore you to death at others, especially considering the great action in the beginning...you have to endure these 45 minutes in order to be rewarded with the other great action scenes at the end. It's these 45 minutes or so that makes this one a hard choice for repeated viewings, and makes great use of the 'skip chapter' button on the dvd remote, at least once you understand the plot of the movie, which may take a few viewings to get. Oh and btw, if you can't stand pregnancy scenes, just like I can't stand them, this is not the movie for you. The scenes with Juliette Lewis are very graphic and a little too realistic. Once again, bad editing is to blame...watching a pregnant woman scream in pain for 5 minutes at a time is simply unpleasant to watch...we get the point after the first 5 seconds!
Okay, so I've listed the good and the bad (the ugly is probably in there too somewhere...) of this movie...for me I usually love or hate a film, this one is truly a black sheep to me, which is why I wrote an equally balanced review. But, I must say, the good qualities do outweigh the bad ones, or why would I have bought the dvd? This is a movie that not everyone will like, but is good to watch alone or with another movie buff. It does make you think on some level, but don't expect another outing of The Usual Suspects...this one really tries too hard to be 'smart' and at times, 'hip'. But, it has some really impressive acting, great characters and action scenes that rival The Wild Bunch. Speaking of that movie, you can tell that this one is a tribute or a copy to Sam Peckinpah's anti-hero western shoot-em-up. Our 'heroes', Parker and Longbaugh simply have no desire to live and go for an all or nothing heist which goes terribly wrong (I love the line where Del Toro tells James Caan as they are having coffee that 'I don't think this is a brains sort of operation'), but they end up being, ironically, the most 'good' of all of the other characters (everyone is some sort of criminal or an up-to-no-gooder). All in all, not a bad film, just like others have said, this could have been a great film which is why this review is so hard to write and is so torn between sides. Like it or loathe it, this one will entertain you pretty well, just make sure that you keep the fast forward button primed and ready during the slow scenes, unless you haven't seen it before and want to understand the complex plot, which by the way, had me scratching my head the entire time during my first viewing. Now that I understand it though, it isn't exactly a life altering experience, though. Anyways, watch this one for the acting and the action...I'd love to give this one a high rating, but I just can't...the editing is absolutely horrible. That is my story, and I'm sticking to it. 6/10 stars
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