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The Way of the Gun

Rated '18' by the BBFC for strong, bloody violence and language.

Ryan Phillippe, Benicio Del Toro, Juliette Lewis, Taye Diggs

Version Reviewed- VHS

The Way of the Gun is one of those films that leaves you stunned at what you have just seen on screen. After a painfully explosive and bloody ending, I found that this movie is a very thought-provoking film to watch, which, despite the tidal wave of blood at the end, manages to be both very clever and intelligent, but also extremely loud and violent. A mixture that blends superbly, reaching out to within an inch of perfection.

"Hollywood does have a brain after all"- HOTDOG

Following the 2 main characters (Del Toro and Phillippe) , The Way of the Gun shows just one job on the road to a life of luxury, built through the involvement in crime. Seeing it as a way to earn millions of dollars in a few hours work, the pair decide to kidnap a pregnant mother who is carrying the child of a very wealthy and very dangerous gangster. Unfortunately, things do not go to plan, and they soon find themselves involved in a job unlike any other. A job that could spell the end of their career together...

The first hour of The Way of the Gun is spent building up to the very violent and very exciting conclusion, jolting its way around more twists and turns than a helter-skelter, this movie is not only very smart in the way that it's incredibly unpredictable, but in the very dark humour hidden beneath the intensity of the plot.

The amount of tension in The Way of the Gun is amazing, keeping you super-glued to the screen at all times, even in the quieter parts, and exactly how the director managed to cram this amount of twists, jokes, shooting and drama into under two hours is amazing, the last twenty minutes particularly excelling at full throttle towards the shocking and very gruesome ending in which a bunch of gangster's turn up to spoil everyone's fun.
The gunfire is explosively loud, the action is painfully intense, the comedy is incredibly dark and the whole film just makes the viewer feel amazed by the ending.

If you have the concentration and attention-span to last through the first hour (which builds up the storyline slowly, rather than in a cloud of bullets), then the ending rewards your patience to the highest degree. 

The soundtrack is loud and effective, the violence is extreme and the audience is on the edge of their seats. 

Not as good as the Usual Suspects, but it comes very close.

Rating/5- ****