The Way of The Gun
Joe's Preview Review:
One of the best previews of
the year. Any movie that uses the Violent Femmes' "Why Can't I get
One Last Kiss?" has to be doing something right. Then when you see
form the writer of The Usual Suspects, you're like "Woh!".
Benecio Del Toro looks awesome and even Ryan Phillipe looks like a good
actor. Fast action, with good comedic lines and smart little one-liners
make this film look on to pace to be one of the better films of the year. Only
negative, the long preview uses Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff".
Joe's Review:
The Usual Suspects was one of my favorite films of all time. Any man involved
in that film gets my attention when he or she comes out with a new project
especially the writer of the ingenious script, Christopher McQuarrie. Along with
writing this film, he has also makes his directorial debut. This film, his first
since The Usual Suspects, about a different brand of criminals and the big time
kidnapping they get involved in.
Longbaugh and Parker, Benecio Del Toro and Ryan Phillippe respectively, are two
partners in crime. They are smart men who felt they had no other option in life
but to go into a life of crime. They decide to commit a kidnapping
based on a conversation they overhear. When they do make the kidnapping, they
find out they are in way over there head.
They are then pursued by the men supposed to be protecting the victim, straight faced
Nicki Katt and Taye Diggs.
A movie I'm unsure how I felt about it. The movie looked great, the style and visuals were very well done. But then I look back at some of the dialogue and felt it was out of place. Ryan Phillippe has one dialogue about death and god that, at the same time, stopped the great flow of the movie and also added in another unnecessary variable to the film. Still, Phillippe recites the best line in the script, "A plan is a list of things that don't happen". A line that shows that when this film is good, it's real good.
Benecio Del Toro because becomes the films impeccable savior.
He is the epitome of cool. When he speaks, it is something that needs to be
said. He wants to move things along the best he can. His smoothness with
the weapons made him look like a natural criminal. Juliette Lewis sucks as
usual. She's annoying, bitchy, and pregnant. She gave me a major headache. I
wish they'd cut her out of every movie she's in except maybe Natural Born
Killers. Want proof, check out, the awful mentally handicapped romantic
comedy, The Other Sister.
You could just tell it was McQuarrie's first try at directing. He tried to
squish too many things into the movie. Too many shootouts, too many characters,
too many camera angles. He wanted to try everything and didn't stick to
fluidity. McQuarrie was trying to make his Reservoir Dogs instead
he ended up with a funnier 2 Days in The Valley. The dialogue is a major part of the film. At points it was brilliant.
At other points it was useless.
A good directorial debut that could have been better with some good performances
and very stylish, authentic look. Even with it's faults, it's still one of the
best movie's to come out this year.
Starring: Benecio Del Toro, Ryan Phillippe, James Caan, Juliette Lewis, Taye
Diggs, Nicki Katt (Boiler Room)
Written and Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects)
Rating: 3 out of 4 Stars
Running Time: 118 minutes
Rated R for strong violence/gore, language and some sexuality.
Some good hard edged music with some lines from the movie. For real fans of the movie.
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