The Way of the Gun (2000)

Two criminal drifters without sympathy get more than they bargained for after kidnapping and holding for ransom the surrogate mother of a powerful and shady man.

Director:

Christopher McQuarrie

Writer:

Christopher McQuarrie

Stars:

Ryan Phillippe, Benicio Del Toro, Juliette Lewis

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Phillippe	...	Mr. Parker
Benicio Del Toro	...	Harold Longbaugh
Juliette Lewis	...	Robin
Taye Diggs	...	Jeffers
Nicky Katt	...	Obecks
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Abner Mercer
Dylan Kussman	...	Dr. Allen Painter
Scott Wilson	...	Hale Chidduck
Kristin Lehman	...	Francesca Chidduck
James Caan	...	Joe Sarno
Henry Griffin	...	P. Whipped
Armando Guerrero	...	Federale #1 (as Mando Guerrero)
Andres Orozco	...	Federale #2
Jan Hanks	...	Receptionist (as Jan Jensen)
José Pérez	...	? (as Jose Perez)

Storyline

Two petty if violent criminals kidnap a girl being paid $1m to be a surrogate mother. As the baby is for a gangster the pair's demand for money sees several henchmen and assorted other ruthless characters head after them to Mexico. Bullets rather than talking are always going to settle this one.

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Plot Keywords:

watching tv | criminal | surrogate mother | money | gangster | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence/gore, language and some sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

8 September 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Sangue Frio

Filming Locations:

Abandoned Gas Station, Skull Valley, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,150,979, 10 September 2000, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$6,055,661

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,069,740

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artisan Entertainment, Aqaba Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The rifle used by Benicio Del Toro at the motel and in the brothel was an Israeli made Galil in 7.62mm. The handguns used by Parker and Longbaugh were Colt MK IV Series 70 Government Models in 9mm for ease of use with blanks. The handguns used by the bodyguards were H&K USP 9's. The Revolvers were Taurus Model 85 .38 Specials. The shotgun was a Remington 870 12 gauge.

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Goofs

At the motel, Robin fires directly through the door, but does not hit the van on the other side of it.

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Quotes

Bar Patron: Hey, hey. Yeah you, get up. What are you retarded? Get off the fucking car!
Raving Bitch: Hey dickless, get off the fucking car! Hey fucksuck, get your slippery fucking ass off the car! Listen to me, get off the fucking car with your fucking ass!
Parker: Shut that cunts mouth or I'll come over there and fuckstart her head!
Raving Bitch: You're gonna wish you never fucking got up this fucking morning asshole, because my boyfriend's gonna fuck you up! And then after that while he's fucking up your fucking gay uncle over there I'm ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Henry Griffin is listed as P. Whipped. He is the guy whose girlfriend is yelling at Parker and Longbaugh and ends up fighting them, thus he is "P[ussy] Whipped."

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Connections

References Bullitt (1968)

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Soundtracks

How to Make a Margarita
Written & Performed by Joe Kraemer

User Reviews

I thought it was great

I can only comment negatively about one scene in the movie. I thought the movie was extremely effective in building up the intensity of certain scenes, however they used probably their most dramatic and climatic orchestra number for a scene where they simply dumped bags of money into a truck and drove off. My girlfriend and I stood confused as the music built up and built up, then finally climaxed. Didn't make a bit of sense to either of us.

With that said- I thought this movie was outstanding. Benicio Del Toro has this presence about him that radiates "coolness", and Ryan Phillippe did a remarkable job as well with his role. There were scenes in which hardly any dialogue was spoken, yet whole paragraphs were spoken through facial expressions. Thats a testament to the abilities of the actors right there. The double meaning of the game of hearts explanation was fascinating and fun to decipher.

Plots twists galore, not a single one of them predictable. The terminology was all new to me (i.e. bagman/dejudication I think it was...) and it made me feel like I was actually participating in the movie.

This is a thinkers movie, and some people may not be in the mood for that. The entirely creative car chase scenes and shoot out sequences are enough to satisfy the most mindless action fan, however.

This movie is just cool.