Monday Mayhem: The Way of the Gun - Anti-heroes, bullets, and a pregnant woman

Christopher McQuarrie’s directorial debut is a gritty and grounded shoot-'em-up

In our weekly series, Monday Mayhem, we recommend fast-paced Hollywood action films

There is a consensus that the ‘original’ action movies are on the decline in Hollywood. The lack of an action star in the mould of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Seagal, or Bruce Willis in the modern era does add weight to this theory. It could partly be attributed to the rise of superhero films that have occupied this space and expanded its boundaries by making ‘new action films’ more accessible to a wider audience.

The genre is no longer targeted largely at adult male audiences. It would require a monumental effort from filmmakers to convince this particular demographic that an action film without a stereotypical ‘macho man’ is capable of creating exhilarating action films — Goerge Miller’s 2015 action masterpiece Mad Max: Fury Road is an anomaly in terms of how an action film in its purest form was able to become a universal success. Several indie-action films made after the turn of the millennium simply could not afford the production value or the star-power Mad Max: Fury Road offered. One such film is the 2000 film The Way of the Gun.

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who is now widely regarded as one of the finest action filmmakers today, the film was his directorial debut. McQuarrie is currently renowned for helming the new Mission: Impossible films and writing the latest blockbuster hit, Top Gun: Maverick. Even though McQuarrie had earned a reputation as an accomplished screenwriter for delivering compelling hits such as The Usual Suspects stepping up to become the director was always going to be a monumental challenge. However, McQuarrie proved his mettle in his first outing as director through The Way of the Gun. The film is an out-and-out action thriller grounded in realism but with a hint of surrealism.

Benicio Del Toro and Ryan Phillippe essay the lead roles as two grifters who are willing to go to any lengths, including kill, maim, and kidnap to make a quick buck. As highly trained marksmen they are dangerous individuals who are not to be taken lightly. When Harold (Del Toro) and Parker (Phillippe) discover that a pregnant woman is being paid a million dollars to deliver a baby, they do not think twice before kidnapping her for ransom. But they soon discover that the man they are trying to rob is a powerful and dangerous man named Hale Chidduck (Scott Wilson) who has plenty of resources and manpower at his disposal to put a serious dent in their plans. What ensues is a series of fast-paced action sequences, and moments of exposition and self-reflection — finely balanced throughout its runtime.

The film poses several moral and ethical dilemmas, in a narrative in which all of its characters have questionable, or at the very least, morally grey arcs. Juliette Lewis plays the role of the heavily pregnant woman Robin, who has her own vested interests. Chidduck’s bagman, Joe Sarno (James Caan), does everything in his power to find a relatively peaceful resolution with minimal bloodshed. Whereas Chidduck’s cold and calculating enforcers, Jeffers (Taye Diggs) and Obecks (Nicky Katt), also have their own agendas. The myriad of complexities surrounding the kidnapping keeps the narrative moving forward, with palpable action and gunfight spread across the narrative.

The final gunfight in particular is perfectly executed with riveting and stylised sequences reminiscent of Sam Peckinpah westerns. Del Toro and Phillippe’s excellent performances add another dimension to the film. Their characters, despite being rotten to the core, are shown to have at least a modicum of empathy unlike several other characters in the film. The narrative also attempts to highlight the various perceived hypocrisies in societal norms and morality.

Watch The Way of the Gun here.

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