Hey blokes and blokettes, Harry here with an update from QUINT about the screening in Austin last night for THE WAY OF THE GUN... Now... ordinarily I would be writing mine before the crusty seaman, but after the screening I went to the Russell Crowe concert in Austin last night and... Well, I didn't get home till 5am and folks... I'm sorry, but with Father Geek in Mexico... I'M GOING TO TAKE MY OWN VACATION!!!! And I won't tell any of you what or where I am.... I could be down the street from you... outside your window... or watching gymnastics and trying to compete myself. MUhahahahhahaaaa... No matter what though... when I do write my review (expect it Monday) you will read a complete ejaculatory love fest. THIS MOVIE KICKS ASS like you will not believe.... And you won't... till ya see it that is...
Ahoy there my little sea squirts! The ultimate seaman here once more, this time with a look at Christopher McQuarrie's directorial debut film, Way of the Gun.
It's been really busy around the Orca lately. I snuck into the test screening of Soderbergh's Traffic, which I'll be writing up a review for you guys in a few days. I got another interview done, which will also be up in a few days and I am currently working on getting onto a major set. And then I saw the Austin premiere of Way of the Gun, starring Benicio del Toro, Juliette Lewis, Ryan Phillipe, Nicky Katt, Taye Diggs and James "Jon-A-Than, Jon-a-than" Caan.
This is a hardcore movie of the highest degree. It's entertaining, it's thrilling, it's funny and low and behold it actually has depth and story thrown in for good measure. Way of the Gun totally and completely won me over. Gratuitous violence one minute, emotional, quite moment the next and then they throw you a curve and you're on the floor, laughing so hard you're missing the dialogue on screen. When they say a movie is a Rollercoaster of a film, this is the kind of movie they're talking about.
The movie is basically about Ryan Phillipe and Benicio del Toro's characters, hoods who make extra money on the side by selling their blood and sperm. They hear about a girl who is being payed by an extremely rich couple to carry their baby because the young wife doesn't want the inconvenience of being pregnant. So, they decide to kidnap the girl (and the unborn baby). That's easier said than done because of the hardass bodyguards the rich couple always has on the girl, played by Juliette Lewis. The bodyguards are played perfectly by Nicky Katt and Taye Diggs. They have just the right mixture of hardness and comedy to make their characters click and they have terrific chemistry. I always knew I was in for some coolness when they were onscreen together.
James Caan plays an old friend of the rich couple, a guy that's called in to handle messes, a survivor with a very dirty past. You know, James Caan. When you throw him into the mix... with all the other components of the film... you basically have cinematic nitroglycerine which explodes in a beautifully violent climax.
The gunplay in the film is terrific. It's the best use of non-fantasy shootouts since Desperado. Some very gruesome stuff happens in this film. Prepare for lots of blood.
Also prepare for not hating Ryan Phillipe. He was the one factor I was worried about going into the film. He totally proved himself to me as an actor and a badass in this film. I knew del Toro was going to be terrific. I've been a big fan of his since The Usual Suspects and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I knew James Caan was going to be cool. He had a bigger part than I thought he would. I was thinking more along the lines of Bottle Rocket, but he's a legitimate costar in the film, not just a cameo. Juliette Lewis is a flip of the coin actress. She tends to do well in films with a great script and a talented director. I knew the script would be fine, I mean, it's Chris "Usual Suspects" McQuarrie. The man has a fucking Oscar for screenwriting. The only aspect I had doubts about in terms of casting was Phillipe. I think his name will keep a lot of us geeks away from the film and that's a damn shame. Hey, if you hate Phillipe with a passion, then you'll love this movie. You get to see him get hurt... a lot... lots of bloody Ryan Phillipe painful moments. If you are willing to give the guy a chance, then I think you'll be happy with the results.
This film is also for fans of westerns. Even though the surface is crime film, that just disguises the fact that it's really a Spaghetti Western. I was discussing this aspect of the film with El Cosmico and RoboGeek last night and we all agree that there are heavy, heavy touches of Wild Bunch and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, especially in the second half of the film.
One last thing I want to bring up is McQuarrie's direction. I was watching the movie thinking, "Damn. How can this be his first time directing?" I was astonished. He was able to keep the movie taut, kept the pacing up and made me sit on the edge of my seat during the gunfights. He didn't fall into the usual traps that most first time directors tend to. You know, like doing artsy shots that have no reason or meaning, the ones that are just there for the sake of being an artsy shot. I can only think of one shot in the film that's a little unconventional, that would be considered artsy, but it doesn't detract from the film. It feels right. Kudos to Chris.
So, if you want to go watch an action film that won't make you feel guilty after you watch it, one that has the style AND the substance, then you couldn't do any better than Way of the Gun. It's a helluva lot of fun.
Well, my little sea squirts, it's time for the ol' crusty seaman to bid you farewell and adieu. Here's to swimmin' with bowlegged women!
-Quint
