Two criminal drifters without sympathy get more than they bargained for after kidnapping and holding for ransom the surrogate mother of a powerful and shady man.
Works better in entertaining fits and starts than as a whole. It doesn't resonate much beyond the here and now, even if the shotgun blasts ring in your ears for a good long while.
– Chris Vognar,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Jan 2000
fresh:
The Way of the Gun will be too bloody for many viewers, but for those who aren't turned off by the high level of violence, McQuarrie's first venture behind the camera offers an involving experience.
– James Berardinelli,
ReelViews,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
Like his characters, McQuarrie's film has two faces: It is overplotted and it is crisply directed.
– Carrie Rickey,
Philadelphia Inquirer,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
Rotten, pretentious movie full of minimalist dialogue and self-consciously arty cinematography.
– Peter Stack,
San Francisco Chronicle,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
Both the picture and its nefarious plot seem self-consciously calculated.