This is one of “those” movies. Not
everyone loves it, and not everything in it is great. But when I
watched it for the first time some 14 years ago it swept me away like few other movies can. No
question that it is not for all tastes and is definitely a “guy
movie”, but offers characters that really get to you and one
performance that will blow your doors completely off.
The films two protagonists are Parker
and Longbaugh (Ryan Phillippe and Benicio Del Toro) and they are the
very definition of anti-heroes. Lifelong criminals that have both
done serious time, they know that if they are ever busted again for anything
significant they will spend the rest of their lives in jail. So they
live lean, take no chances and always keep their ear to the ground,
always looking for that one really big score that will be worth
taking the risk for. Phillippe is a little young for the part, but gives
the only performance of career that I don't hate. Del Toro is Del
Toro – really good at playing characters that live outside the
lines.
Then one day, jackpot. They learn of a
rich businessman that is paying a local woman $1,000,000 to be a
surrogate mother for he and his wife. They figure that if he is willing to pay her
a million dollars, then the woman and baby must be worth at least that much in ransom. They plan to kidnap her at her doctor's office and ransom her
to the businessman. Couldn't be more simple, and has the big payoff they're looking for.
But a couple of contingencies come
along. First, she has a team of bodyguards that are cold blooded and much more concerned with not losing her than for her own safety. Second, the
“businessman” is a powerful organized crime figure. Nothing is
going to plan and they realize that this simple kidnapping is now a
struggle to simply escape with their lives. But if they stick with it, there will now be a
lot more money involved. The bodyguards and mafia figure mistake
them for small time yahoos, not realizing they are skilled and
lifelong crooks. Virtually every plan laid on both sides fails to
go as expected. It is really mesmerizing.
But the real greatness of “The
Way of the Gun” is the character of Joe Sarno, played to perfection
by James Caan. Sarno is the mafia figure's “adjudicator”. When
asked what this means he explains, “I make unpleasant decisions for
him of which he cannot and never will know.” Sarno is the secret hero
of the film, as he is not only the primary bagman for the mob, he is
also the surrogate mother/kidnapping victim's father. He
recognizes Parker and Longbaugh for what they are and makes every
attempt to bring the kidnapping to a conclusion where nobody is hurt
more than necessary and his daughter and the baby are saved. Some might find Sarno a bit too unbelievable - he has lines that are so incredibly good that it would seem no real person would ever really say them (for example, "I can promise you a day of reckoning that you will not live long enough to never forget."). But he is the backbone that the movie eventually rides on.
The
wild conspiracies and subterfuge on both sides lead to a grand final
conflict that I still enjoy on the edge of my seat after at least a dozen viewings. A
great, great movie.
The slight miscasting of Phillippe, the
relatively slow initial 10 minutes and the clearly shoestring budget
that this film was made on are the only things that keep this from
being a 4 star film in my book. If you've never seen it and you like
really intriguing “guy movies” make sure you check it out. It is
a can't miss.
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