HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 30, 2000 — “It’s a western with cell phones and the cell phones don’t work.” That’s how Academy Award-winning screenwriter Chris McQuarrie described his new action/thriller “The Way of the Gun” at the Los Angeles premiere.
This twisting crime drama about two cold-blooded career criminals is McQuarrie’s directorial debut and stars Ryan Phillippe, Benicio Del Toro, Juliette Lewis, James Caan, Taye Diggs and Nicky Katt — all of whom were present at the LA event.
“It’s just exciting. You just hope it does well,” said Juliette Lewis, who plays a pregnant surrogate mother in the film.
Phillippe and Del Toro play the two criminals and all goes awry when they kidnap Lewis’ character. Phillippe said of the role, “It was fun. A lot of fun. I felt like I was 11 years old again, playing cops and robbers.”
But it was no child’s play when it came to gearing up for the film. Phillippe explained, “We worked with a Navy SEAL, who was Chris McQuarrie’s brother, and also a SWAT team member. We trained pretty extensively, actually.”
Geoffrey Lewis, father of Juliette, was also present at the premiere. The elder Lewis stars in “Way of the Gun” along with his daughter and was more than proud of her performance.
Juliette Lewis says audiences should see the film because “If you love the art of filmmaking, you’ll like this movie. If you’re sick of the predictable story plot, go see the ‘The Way of the Gun’ because you’ll never predict the next turn.”
“The Way of the Gun” rides in to theaters Sept. 8.
— Sandy Varo
