August 1, 2000 -- When the two main characters in a movie introduce themselves as Parker and Longbaugh (the real last names of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) you get the sneaking suspicion that whatever else you see in the movie, it isn't entirely serious.

That's exactly what happens in "The Way of the Gun," in yet another gangster film with a deterministic theme. At least Tarantino had the grace to build it into the film's structure. This film beats us over the head with it.

Parker states, "At some point it became clear to us that our path had been chosen and we had nothing to offer the world, so we stepped off the path and went looking for the fortune that we knew was looking for us.
The longest distance between two points is a kidnapper and his money, but we were through jerking around ... We don't expect to get the money. We count on gettin' killed. And if anything goes wrong? We win."

Speaking of jerking around, Parker (smoothly played by Ryan Phillippe of "54") and Longbaugh (Benicio Del Toro of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas") learn about their kidnap victim at a sperm bank. A rich couple plans to pay a surrogate mother $1 million in cash for her to bear their baby. Butch and Sundance decide to kidnap the girl, Robin (Juliette Lewis of "Cape Fear") and ransom her for $15 million. Little do they know, the expectant parents are connected to the mob. Soon there's a hail of bullets and blood, along with a nasty torture scene.

Among the players in this action drama are the connected father Hale Chidduck (Scott Wilson), his wife, Francesca Chidduck (Kristin Lehman), two hit men, Jeffers (Taye Diggs of "House on Haunted Hill") and Obecks (Nicky Katt of "Boiler Room") and the bag man, Joe Sarno (James Caan of "Mickey Blue Eyes") and his associate Abner (Geoffrey Lewis). Most of these characters are scheming behind each others backs. There are back stabbings all over the place. Sarno, a consummate professional, nevertheless, has a soft spot in his heart for the two young punks trying to pull off the kidnapping.

Sarno and Longbaugh have a conversation in the midst of the hostage crisis, not unlike the conversation between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in "Heat." Sarno says, "You must be the brains behind this operation." Longbaugh replies, "This isn't a brains kind of an operation." Sarno indicates he will have to kill Longbaugh and Parker, but he would rather not. It is a nice moment in a movie otherwise filled with too much violence, cruelty and betrayal.

It's not a bad action film, but slogging through this pointless determinism slows it down. The problem with determinism is that it ruins any surprise the film might have. It tips its hand way too soon. It is also quite depressing. It would be O.K. in a deterministic society, but this is not. This is a society of any number of self-made millionaires who at one time or another had only their belief in themselves. Sometimes all they had was an idea, and sometimes that was enough. Determinism, as used in this film is an excuse to be a criminal, to be anything. It isn't their fault they are crooks. It's fate. What baloney.

Determinism as a philosophy works only in hindsight. There is no way to prove whether events were fated to happen in a certain way, or if it was a result of free will. If a person really believes in determinism, however, what is the point to striving to achieve anything? If one is meant to achieve any given goal, won't it just happen regardless of individual or collective planning or effort or sacrifice? I think not. On the other hand, it's a great crutch if you do fail. It was fate. I can see where filmmakers can think like this. It is a collaborative process, many of the elements that make a successful film are outside the filmmaker's control. It is only a small step to thinking everything is outside one's control. It sure is a downer, though. It is also funny. Every time I think of destiny, I think of the very funny line in "Young Frankenstein," with Gene Wilder laying on the bed, rolling back and forth, chanting, "Desti-ny, desti-ny, no escaping ..." It just cracks me up.

The other day I mentioned I had seen this film and this woman says enthusiastically, "Oh I love (makes a sound like she's clearing her throat)." I now realize she was referring to Benicio Del Toro and evidently was making either the correct, or a very showy, pronunciation of the name. Del Toro isn't bullish at all. He's this thin weasly-looking, greasy-haired guy who peers through mere slits of eyes, beneath which there are dark patches making it look like he's not getting any sleep at all. Quite a strange sex symbol. One thing about this Del Toro, though, he can act and he has a strong screen presence. You can't take your eyes off this funny-looking dude.

The more traditional-looking actors and actresses also did a fine job. It is hard to know what to make of this film, even though it is well-photographed and edited. It does stick with you days after you see it because it develops strong characters and because it leaves everything unresolved at the end of the film. You wonder, "What happens to everybody?" But then you remember, it was all predestined, so who the heck cares? Hey, I'll give the benefit of the doubt for any film that sticks with you. This film rates a C+.

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