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Reviews:
The
Best Film of the Year: The
Way of the Gun
by Christian
De Matteo
HUGE
As of September 11, 2000,
and as of December 31st, 2000 barring the release of a film so massive
in proportion that I am physically unable to move after the credits
roll, The Way of the Gun is officially my vote for Movie of the Year.
No, strike that. Movie
is not high enough a term for this, FILM of the Year.
Though it will
probably not even be nominated by the frequently downright stupid
Academy, The Way of the Gun
gets my unfortunately worthless nomination for the best
film of the year and best
original screenplay of the year.
Many of you folks reading
this will probably find the movie gratuitous and disgusting, I am aware
of that. However, it is not
just a "shoot 'em up" action flick, in fact, far from it. The Way of the Gun
is a brilliant treatise on life, humanity, destruction and redemption,
all the while being darkly hysterical and highly suspenseful.
I consider this review to
be a public service announcement to let you know that this film is out
in theaters because Artisan (the company releasing the film) is not
doing enough to promote it.
Both WRITTEN and DIRECTED
by Chris McQuarrie, the man responsible for THE USUAL SUSPECTS
screenplay, one of the most brilliant and well done crime stories of the
1990s. This time he directs
his own screenplay with the utter perfection worthy of a long time
director and not a first time rookie.
The film stars my generation's Robert De Niro, Benicio Del Toro (The
Usual Suspects, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) doing as always an
outstanding job handling the character with the ease of a 20 year
airplane captain doing a simulation.
(Del Toro starred as Fenster in The Usual Suspects, a character
he largely created from the script.) Barring catastrophe or a VH1 Behind
the Music-style drug related tragedy, Del Toro will have a long and
illustrious career worthy of De Niro (he's even got the whole two word
last name starting with a "d" like all of our most amazing and
promising people have). Who knows maybe he will eventually even produce and have a
role in yet another Rocky and Bullwinkle flick?
But there was a cause to
worry. Ryan Phillippe in a
hardcore action flick? Ryan
Phillippe of teenie flick Cruel
Intensions (yes guys, I know there was one
reason to see Intensions)
playing a cool tough guy in an ultra-violent noir?
He is perfect, believable, funny, and completely convincing.
The Way of the Gun
should torpedo Phillippe into the world of heavy duty, serious movies
because he proves he is completely worthy of it.
James Caan (Misery) also stars in this movie in what is one of his greatest
performances ever. I could
review every single performance as amazing, but time
bars my doing so; You don’t
have the time to read a long review, because you should be heading to the
movie theater.
Juliette Lewis does an
excellent job as a very pregnant woman and Taye Diggs was incredible as
a particularly ambitious body guard.
No one is unimportant to the movie and everyone needs to be paid
attention to. The movie is
complex, driving, and edge-of-your-seat.
Yes, that’s right, this film is worthy of a true and exact
usage of the cliché, “edge-of-your-seat.”
The script is always
perfect and occasionally even transcends perfection, especially with an
explanation of the card game Hearts that is about everything human and
life related. "If you
have a heart, get rid of it," is just one of the great commentaries
in this scene.
Now one word of warning:
This is an EXTREMELY violent and bloody film and is filled with a
level of profanity to rival most rap songs.
BUT, and this is a but worthy of Marlon Brando, the profanity,
blood and violence are just not there for shock value.
When you buy your ticket, you are entering a violent, cruel and
mean world filled with bad people and the film is represents these
people as they are, nothing held back, no merciful camera cuts.
And it does it all with a large dose of realistic dark comedy.
There’s one scene in this movie that made me laugh so hard
while I was cringing at the grossness of it that I almost threw my back
out. An exaggeration? Barely.
From the opening to the
grand finale, the film rules the screen, commands the audience and drops
every other film released this year a notch or twelve.
The first modern day spaghetti western to come out since
Peckinpah had his way with celluloid, the movie has all the social
import, grim reality and laugh-out-loud, nod-your-head truth and
hilarity of the genre.
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Way
of the Gun
by Joe De Matteo
Super
Here's a good watch; it's gritty, violent,
black humorous and deep enough to make it eminently rewatchable.
Benicio Del Torro's character portrayal is
believable and smooth. As
is Ryan Phillippe, James Caan, Juliette Lewis, and her father, veteran
actor, writer, and director, Geoffrey Lewis.
Lynn Kressel and Cate Praggastis did a superb job casting this
film; every performance is excellent.
This movie picked me up and took me out for
a ride. During the movie, I
was never aware of the acting or the dialogue, in terms of whether or
not they were good. There's
only one part that had me scratching my head; and Christopher McQuarrie
touches on that in the "talk over" presentation on the DVD.
Looking back over it, I can tell you that
the chase scenes, gunfights and banter are all well done and
interesting. Juliette
Lewis' pain scene had me wreathing in my chair.
If you like Tarantino, the Coen Brothers,
Robert Rodriguez (I like them
all), this is a must see.
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