The Way of the Gun

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The Way of the Gun

R

2000

1h 59m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

46%

Tomatometer

134 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

They make no excuses. They don't ask forgiveness. Their story is without compromise, brutal and simple. For contemporary desperados Parker and associate Longbaugh, crime means survival at any cost. Their impromptu plan to kidnap surrogate mother Robin, just weeks from delivering the son of Hale and Francesca Chidduck, seems to be a fast way to cash in on a fat ransom and head for the border. But their haste does indeed make waste.

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Critics Consensus

Christopher McQuarrie may exhibit a way behind the camera in the stylish The Way of the Gun, but his script falters with dull characterization and a plot so needlessly twisty that most viewers will be ready to tune out before the final reveal.

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Stephen Hunter

Washington Post

06/18/2019

It's good fun for bad boys.

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

06/18/2019

Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote The Usual Suspects, has made a film that I admire more than I love, whose ending makes me recoil emotionally, even as I recommend the thing.

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Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

06/17/2019

The Way of the Gun is doomy trash, a blood-soaked saga of remorseless killers and natural-born blatherers. I'm sure I've seen worse movies, but nothing so steadfastly unpleasant comes to mind.

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Frank J. Avella

The Contending

07/15/2025

B-

...a mega-mixed bag—a terrific cast and that snappy McQuarrie dialogue, but little character development beyond the superficial, with no one really worthy of any kind of redemption.

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Joe Lipsett

Queer.Horror.Movies.

07/12/2025

3/5

Philippe struggles with [the] hard-boiled dialogue, and the pacing is draggy in parts, but overall it's a solid directorial calling card for McQuarrie, particularly his ability to handle multiple types of action.

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Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

06/25/2025

... so many twists, turns, and double-crosses that the duo must contend with that the film itself starts to droop under the weight of everything so the details help keep the audience invested where a trimmer runtime might’ve done the same.

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Mate P

@matepolcz Jun 11

***SLIGHT SPOILERS*** The Way of the Gun is an allegory for the process of filmmaking. I'm not a person who sees this type of stuff, but before watching, I heard Christopher McQuarrie (my favourite filmmaker) talking about this film a lot. He also talks about how bad it is, so I didn't expect it to be good. Although it's perfectly okay. I don't like amoral films, but at least there was Joe, who felt similar to Robert Duvall's character in Jack Reacher, so I liked him very much. The directing is pretty all over the place, but the final sequence is awesome. The cinematography has its moments, while the pacing isn't too bad either. The cast is pretty huge considering the size of the budget. The lead performances are great, but James Caan's presence is just different. Thank God, McQ made this movie, because this is one of the big reasons why we got great films like Fallout and Dead Reckoning from him.

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Daisy P

@RT71672200 Mar 30

So many great actors in one film!!! Loved it My ❤️ first fave Benicio del Toro!! Juliette Lewis ❤️ Taye Diggs, James Cahn, Ryan Phillipe. Action 🎬 🎬

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Roberto L.

@RobertoLongstaff29 Feb 3

“I think a plan is just a list of things that don’t happen”.

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Luke S

@CouchBasedMovieGuy Jan 30

Ignore the journalist reviewers and their pretentious critiques of the film and sit down and enjoy the movie yourself.

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Nov 17

It's worth a watch especially if your a Benicio Del Toro fan like me. Great cast overall.

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Oaklee D

@ODie63 Oct 20

Quentin Tarantino meets the Coen brothers is the best way I can describe this film.

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Christopher McQuarrie

Director

Ryan Phillippe

Parker

Benicio del Toro

Longbaugh

James Caan

Sarno

Juliette Lewis

Robin

Taye Diggs

Jeffers

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Synopsis

They make no excuses. They don't ask forgiveness. Their story is without compromise, brutal and simple. For contemporary desperados Parker and associate Longbaugh, crime means survival at any cost. Their impromptu plan to kidnap surrogate mother Robin, just weeks from delivering the son of Hale and Francesca Chidduck, seems to be a fast way to cash in on a fat ransom and head for the border. But their haste does indeed make waste.

Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Producer: Kenneth Kokin
Screenwriter: Christopher McQuarrie
Distributor: Artisan Entertainment
Production Co: Artisan Entertainment
Rating: R (Sexuality|Language|Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 8, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.0M
Runtime: 1h 59m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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