Way of the Gun: I desperately wanted to see this film, being a fan of the McQuarrie-written Usual Supsects and loving the ad campaign (the Violent Femmes' Add it Up played prominently in trailers, and the great exchange "Are you the brains of this operation"/"Tell you the truth, I don't think this is a brains kind of operation" in the commercials).
But the film flat-out sucked. It began as a real hoot -- there is a priceless bit of comedy and gratuitous violence in the teaser, and the sperm-bank questionaire scene was hilarious -- but the plot is meandering and confusing while simultaneously being *thin* -- that's a difficult trick to pull off -- and the action is also boring.
McQuarrie strains to sound like he has inside dope on crime -- "Never trust a bag-man" -- but is unconvincing.
The only bright spots are Del Torro, magnificent as usual, and Phillipe, who's scruffy beard and odd accent make him seem like a genuine thug rather than an effete pretty-boy.
But that's not enough. Not even worth the price of a rental, unless you're already renting two videos and getting this stinker for free.
One and a half stars out of five-- and those one and a half stars all come in the first ten minutes.
Oh yeah-- good title. "Way of the Gun." Terrific, if vague, title. Disproving my oft-disproven theory that good titles indicate good movies.
