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The Way of the Gun
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Metascore
49 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.2 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 19 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Ryan Phillippe
  • Summary: A twisting crime drama about two cold-blooded career criminals who kidnap a surrogate mother and find themselves in an escalating cycle of guns and mayhem. (Artisan Entertainment)

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 30
  3. Negative: 6 out of 30
  1. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Peter Brunette
    80
    If you're interested in heavy-lidded moodiness and lots of attitude, Phillippe and Del Toro can't be beat.
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Emanuel Levy
    60
    Each of the talented thesps has some good moments, but, ultimately, none can rise above the limitations of the material and filmmaking.
  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Peter Stack
    25
    Rotten, pretentious movie full of minimalist dialogue and self-consciously arty cinematography.

See all 30 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. KrisA.
    10
    Great action movie. Exciting all the way through, and it has my favourite opening scene of all time. Watch the first scene if nothing else.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. ApocalypseBrown
    9
    What makes me sick is when critics love shite films and pan excellent ones! Fortunately this follows in that tradition. This film will give you what you want to take from it - from violence, intrigue, warmth and humor, it packs it all. And considering the emotional ride it takes the viewer on, it is easy to over-looked its small yet silly faults. Ok Caan and the lover of Juliette Lewis (Dr dude) performances weren't memorable, but the rest of the cast coupled with the slow yet tense car chase scene and the dramatic shoot-outs leave you almost breathless. I am not a critic who is paid to give bad scores, so nine reflects the quality of this venture! 'What you gonna tell God now'?… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. PhilN.
    8
    I love this film... it has its flaws, but I honestly can't see why it is so underrated. The principle characters are despicable and there's no justification for their actions... that's partly the point of the film, and is - to me - an honest and realistic way to depict violence (far preferable to action movies in which we're asked to forget, forgive or applaud the various deaths the protagonists cause), yet it seems to be a common criticism of this film. I just don't understand that way of thinking. It seems to me the intentional coldness and amorality seen in this movie is way out of fashion now - had it appeared in the 70s, would it have been a classic like Point Blank? The film has some truly excellent dialogue (and non-verbal communication), but it has to be said that McQuarrie got a bit carried away at times and some of the lines are just too oblique to be understood or too "clever" to be believable. And, while their motivation is clear, Parker & Longbaugh's tactics in the final action scene are questionable, their approach somewhat less intelligent than we should expect from them. But in my opinion these are negligible flaws next to the film's strengths - not least, some of the finest firefights ever filmed. All performances from biggest to smallest are absolutely spot-on, and the score is wonderful. I would say, if you're a fan of 70s films like The Getaway or Bullit that are appreciated for their bleak and unpleasant qualities, then you'll probably get a kick out of Way Of The Gun. I wish there were more crime/action movies like it.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 14 User Reviews

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