**_Convoluted crime drama in the wake of Pulp Fiction_** Two low-life criminals (Ryan Phillippe & Benicio Del Toro) kidnap a pregnant surrogate (Juliette Lewis) of a rich couple who, unknowingly, has ties to the mob. "The Way of the Gun" (2000) is an offbeat flick in the tradition of "Pulp Fiction" written & directed by a proven screenwriter and featuring a quality cast, which includes James Caan. It's touted as a "modern Western" with two protagonists patterned after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (their names in the film are the last names of Butch & Sundance). It starts out as a black comedy with cussing every other word, but then morphs into a serious crime drama with flashes of gunplay. The score is notable. Two issues hinder the film: (1) A plot that becomes convoluted and therefore increasingly unbelievable, and (2) unlikable characters, except for maybe the surrogate. Concerning the second issue, I understand the concept of antiheroes, but even antiheroes require some redeemable or universally human qualities to make the audience root for them or care about them. Wolverine and Clint Eastwood's Western characters, like Josey Wales, are good examples, as are the antiheroes in films like "Runaway Train" and "Apocalypse Now," two cinematic masterpieces. These two points naturally create disinterest and tempt the viewer to tune out. The first time I watched it I gave up by the 90-minute mark with a half hour to go, I could care less about the characters, their story or how it turned out, even though I tried. On my second viewing, I decided to pay closer attention and stick with the movie till the end. I'm glad I did because this is a well-written examination of crime & violence and the fools involved. An attempt is made to flesh-out all the main characters and I'm talking no less than nine people, each of whom are a piece of the interlocking puzzle, often with their own agenda. While it's no where near great like the seminal "Pulp Fiction," it has style and glimmerings of depth. If you can get past the convoluted story and unlikable characters, it certainly has its points of interest, like well-scripted dialogues and Del Toro's towering performance, not to mention Taye Diggs's interesting heavy. The film was shot in Utah in the Salt Lake City area. GRADE: B-
They're the real 'goodfellas': 'Joe Dogs' Iannuzzi, Tommy DelGiorno, 'Big Dom' Lofaro. For the first time on television, Mafia turncoats give personal accounts of life inside the Mob. In this shocking documentary, five high-ranking informants tell tales of murder, brutality, greed and vanity-and why they broke the Sicilian code of honor. The first generation of the American Mafia stood on the foundation of loyalty and a code of silence. The second and third generations traded their Sicilian traditions for government protection and instant personal gain. MOB STORIES presents five chilling narratives from five members of the underworld, most of whom are overwhelmed with fear and paranoia with the exception of “Fat Jackie”, a loyal lifelong mobster. Father and son team, Alan and Marc Levin, direct and produce an honest and personal portrayal of the demise of the Mafia.
Movie Star Rating : 0 Read More
A Chicago cop is caught in the middle of a gang war while his own comrades shun him because he wants to take an irresponsible cop down.
Movie Star Rating : 5.9 Read More
A young woman suspects foul play when her cat comes home wearing a wristwatch. Convincing the FBI, though, and catching the bad guys is tougher than she imagined.
Movie Star Rating : 6.5 Read More
The gritty life of the Mumbai underworld, including prostitution, dance bars and gun crime.
Movie Star Rating : 6.8 Read More
In a dystopicly polluted rightwing religious tyranny, a young woman is put in sexual slavery on account of her now rare fertility.
Movie Star Rating : 6.1 Read More
The setting is the east shore of the Caspian Sea (today's Turkmenistan) where the Red Army soldier Fyodor Sukhov has been fighting the Civil War in Russian Asia for a number of years. After being hospitalised and then demobbed, he sets off home to join his wife, only to be caught up in a desert fight between a Red Army cavalry unit and Basmachi guerrillas. The cavalry unit commander, Rahimov, "convinces" Sukhov to help, temporarily, with the protection of abandoned women of the Basmachi guerrilla leader Abdullah's harem. Leaving a young Red Army soldier, Petrukha, to assist Sukhov with the task, Rahimov and his cavalry unit set out to pursue fleeing Abdullah.Sukhov and women from Abdullah's harem return to a nearby shore town. Soon, looking for a seaway across the border, Abdullah and his gang come to the same town...
Movie Star Rating : 7.2 Read More
Alexio, a tough guy with something to prove, is finally given a real job: to hunt down and kill the notorious mob enforcer "Black Eddie". Along the way, he's challenged by others who have witnessed Black Eddie's reign of terror first hand. The legend is becoming real...
Movie Star Rating : 0 Read More
A troubled woman seeks out the child she gave up for adoption; a gay motel owner takes in a handsome drifter; and the wife of a preacher frets that a gay couple has moved in across the street. All of their lives will intersect as Loggerheads subtly draws out their secret losses and desires.
Movie Star Rating : 6 Read More
Army Lieutenant Halliday, accused of stealing the Army payroll, pursues the real thief on a frantic chase through Mexico aided by the thief's ex-girlfriend and is in turn being chased by his accuser, Capt. Blake.
Movie Star Rating : 6.5 Read More
Back to Black 2024 - Movies (May 7th)
No Way Through 2023 - Movies (May 7th)
Dune Part Two 2024 - Movies (May 7th)
The Holdovers 2023 - Movies (May 7th)
Kiss the Future 2023 - Movies (May 7th)
Founders Day 2023 - Movies (May 7th)
Abigail 2024 - Movies (May 7th)
Chime 2024 - Movies (May 7th)
For Sale 2024 - Movies (May 7th)
Bloodline Killer 2024 - Movies (May 7th)
Ghostbusters Frozen Empire 2024 - Movies (May 7th)
Stockholm Bloodbath 2023 - Movies (May 6th)
Jade 2024 - Movies (May 6th)
Katt Williams Woke Foke 2024 - Movies (May 6th)
The Roast of Tom Brady 2024 - Movies (May 6th)
Gossip to Die For 2024 - Movies (May 5th)
A Deadly Threat to My Family 2024 - Movies (May 5th)
Force of Nature The Dry 2 2024 - Movies (May 5th)
Madonna The Celebration Tour in Rio 2024 - Movies (May 5th)
Warchief 2024 - Movies (May 5th)
Light 2024 - Movies (May 5th)
Acapulco - (May 8th)
Deadline- White House - (May 8th)
The Beat with Ari Melber - (May 8th)
The ReidOut - (May 8th)
FBI- Most Wanted - (May 7th)
Alert- Missing Persons Unit - (May 7th)
The Bold and the Beautiful - (May 7th)
The Talk - (May 7th)
The Young and the Restless - (May 7th)
The Five - (May 7th)
The Ingraham Angle - (May 7th)
Gutfeld! - (May 7th)
Hannity - (May 7th)
Tucker on X - (May 7th)
Come Dine with Me- The Professionals - (May 7th)
The Yorkshire Vet - (May 7th)
David Lomas Investigates - (May 7th)
Saving Lives at Sea - (May 7th)
The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle - (May 7th)
MSNBC Reports Andrea Mitchell Reports - (May 7th)