I just got back from seeing Way of the Gun. It's about two
petty criminals who "stepped off the path." They stumble upon
what they believe is their one chance for a big score and
they are not going to let anyone get in their way. Just about
everyone in this film is truly nasty, all with secrets not
too far beneath the surface.
It's written and directed (very impressive first outing on
that count, by the way) by the guy who wrote Usual Suspects,
but it's not that kind of film. As one character replies to
the question of whether he or his friend is the "brains of
the operation," he replies, "To tell you the truth, it's not
exactly a brains kind of operation."
Another great line: "15-million dollars isn't money -- it's
motive, with a universal adaptor."
It also has something of an overlap with westerns, a mourning
for a fading era, now too many "are more interested in being
criminals than in commiting crimes."
I thought the movie was really great, but be warned: it can
be brutal and gets very bloody, with none of the ironic
detachment of so many in the post-Tarantino school of crime
movies. (This is not to say the movie does not have its
ironies or moments of dark humor.)
Mark
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