The Way of the Gun

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

We don't want your forgiveness; we won't make excuses. We're not gonna blame you, even if you are an accessory, but we will not accept your natural order. We didn't come for absolution, we didn't ask to be redeemed, but isn't that the way it is? Every goddamn time. Your prayers are always answered, in the order they're received.

The Way of the Gun is the first and, to date, only film directed by screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie, best known for his Oscar-winning script for The Usual Suspects. After several unsuccessful attempts to get films off the ground, McQuarrie ultimately caved to studio pressure and wrote another underworld film, this time attempting to subvert the genre by pointedly exploring the characters' lack of morality. The film centers on two criminal low-lifes who, having chosen to live off the grid, stumble upon a way to strike it big: kidnap the young surrogate mother (Juliette Lewis) of a Mafia accountant's child.

Tropes used in The Way of the Gun include:
  • Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene -- Several. Most notably, Joe Sarno has a cup of coffee with Longbaugh.
  • Anti-Villain -- Joe Sarno, the bagman who, as it turns out, is trying to rescue his daughter.
  • Back-to-Back Badasses -- The final showdown.
  • Badass Grandpa -- Joe Sarno (played by James Caan). He lampshades the trope early one, noting that "the only thing you can assume about a broken down old man is that he's a survivor."
  • Black and Gray Morality -- Deliberately pursued by the director. Parker and Longbaugh are, by default, the protagonists, and they display more morality than some other characters, but they're still cold-blooded killers. The camera lingers on bystanders who were killed through their actions.
  • Bottomless Magazines -- Deliberately averted. The characters are frequently shown reloading.
  • Briefcase Full of Money -- Openly subverted. Parker and Longbaugh demand $15 million in mixed bills, clearly anticipating a briefcase of moeny. Jeffers yells at them, "Do you know how much that'll weigh? Try a couple hundred pounds!" Even in hundreds, the ransom comes in three giant dufflebags. In reality, it would be even more.
  • Chase Scene -- Noteworthy in that this one is a car chase at walking speed.
  • Cluster F-Bomb -- Sarah Silverman's cameo. Her character is named Raving Bitch.
  • Death Seeker -- One of the hitmen is introduced sitting alone at home playing Russian Roulette. With six revolvers.
  • Genre Savvy -- All the shooters either are or think they are.
  • Grievous Bottley Harm -- Parker jumps into a dry fountain for cover, discovering too late that it's filled with jagged broken beer bottles. It's the most gruesome scene in a film filled with shootings, torture, and forcible surgery.
  • Indy Ploy: Before the final shootout, Parker and Longbaugh agree that "a plan is just a list of things that don't happen."
  • Law of Inverse Recoil -- One of the few really noticeable firearm gaffes in the film is when Longbaugh fires a fully automatic burst through a wall. The bullet holes appear in a perfectly straight horizontal line across the wall.
  • Meaningful Echo -- "Every goddamn time." Blink and you'll miss the first one, though.
  • Meaningful Name -- The main characters use the aliases of Parker and Longbaugh.
  • Mexican Standoff -- Parker and Longbaugh attempt one when kidnapping Juliette Lewis. It doesn't work the way they expect it to.
  • Noodle Incident -- "What happened in Baltimore," Dr. Painter's unelaborated shame.
  • One-Scene Wonder -- Sarah Silverman as the "Raving Bitch."
  • Pet the Dog:
    • Parker giving half of his sandwich to Robin.
    • Obecks shows Robin that his finger is off the trigger to assure her that he's bluffing about shooting her. When he pulls her to safety, he whispers, "You're okay."
  • Playing Against Type -- According to the director commentary, Ryan Philippe was very interested in doing this movie, as he preferred them over the type of role he usually got.
  • Pregnant Hostage -- Taken hostage because she's pregnant with a mobster's child.
  • Rage Quit: The director points out in the commentary how the first scene is an example of this trope. Parker and Longbaugh realize that they're going to lose the bar brawl because they're outnumbered, so instead of trying to win, they steal their opponent's victory by decking his girlfriend.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni -- Parker and Longbaugh, in that order. Parker is moody, yells and screams a lot, and is generally unstable. Longbaugh doesn't say much and is generally aloof.
  • Russian Roulette -- a variation with one round in each of six revolvers, which are then picked at random from a pillowcase.
  • Shout-Out: "Everyone will assume they made off to Bolivia."
  • Smug Snake -- Jeffers (played by Taye Diggs)
  • Terrible Interviewees Montage: Parker and Longbaugh at the sperm bank. Longbaugh gives, "I've never killed a man," as one of his qualifications to donate. Parker sees fit to start ranting about homosexuality in modern culture.
  • Throw It In -- One scene in the movie shows Juliette Lewis waiting in the motel room with Ryan Philippe, who is eating a sandwich. She asks if she can have some, and he shoots her a dirty look before handing half of the sandwich over. This was not originally part of the movie; it was an actual exchange between the two actors while they were waiting between takes. The editor put it into the rough cuts, which was the first time McQuarrie saw it. He decided to leave it in.
  • Villain Protagonist -- The main characters are kidnappers, and the antagonists are trying to get the hostage back.
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