Now in guns-blazing 4K, this neo-Western action-thriller from Oscar® winner Christopher McQuarrie depicts the fates of petty criminals Parker (Ryan Phillippe) and Longbaugh (Benicio Del Toro). They believe they’ve hit the jackpot when they kidnap a surrogate mother, Robin (Juliette Lewis), on the brink of delivering a wealthy couple’s child. A simple plan, a $15 million payoff…what could go wrong? Everything, it turns out. Robin is carrying the son of a ruthless gangster (Scott Wilson), who dispatches his hit men ― and grizzled righthand man (James Caan) ― to take out Parker and Longbaugh once and for all.

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Video Quality

Lionsgate Limited presents The Way of the Gun with a lovely 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer that is derived from a 4K restoration of the Original 35mm Camera Negative. The Blu-Ray release from 2009 was highly criticized for being a poor representation of what this movie could look like due to egregious digital processing of the image. We have never seen that release personally, and there is not a Blu-Ray disc included in this package, but we can say with a degree of certainty that this is the best the film has ever looked at home.

Thanks to this new master, audiences will observe the feature in its intended filmic state. Detail and clarity are fabulous thanks to the natural film grain remaining intact. There are no signs that any grain reduction has been applied, as you get a favorable sheen that resolves impeccably. The texture unveiled in the outfits, within the locales, and in the bloody makeup effects is invaluable. There are a handful of softer shots, but this appears to be inherent to the source. Any potential specks of damage seem to have been ameliorated. The Dolby Vision presentation brings quite a bit of complexity to the image, as it captures the earthy warmth and nuance of the visual palette. Skin tones look natural, if not just a touch sun-kissed in some instances. Color saturation does not stumble in any meaningful way. Highlights offer robust stability without veering into blooming. Black levels maintain a sterling amount of depth and detail in darker environments. Lionsgate has crushed this release.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a new Dolby Atmos track, which brings valuable immersion to the material. The track features some stirring activity in some of the more lively developments, such as intense shootouts. The environmental sounds are delineated effectively alongside other audio elements. The low-end response provides some bombastic texture to the proceedings when the plot demands it. There do not seem to be any majorly serious instances of age-related wear and tear to this one.

The soundtrack works to set the mood of the narrative, and this track handles every note without complication throughout. There is never a moment when it threatens to trounce competing sounds, and it maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. The track leans on the front channels given the spotlighting of the dialogue, but the soundscape expands to capture the precise sound design of the film with top-notch fidelity. Lionsgate has given this film an enjoyable audio presentation that serves the movie well. Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles are provided.

Special Features

This release comes with a sleek new SteelBook exclusively at Lionsgate Limited that is quite fetching in person. The SteelBook features a removable lenticular slipcase displaying an artistic rendering of our two protagonists in a gunfight. The interior sports a photo of a sonogram. Video of the SteelBook can be found at the top of this review.

Audio Commentaries: There are two legacy commentary tracks provided in which the creatives give insights into the production of the film, the musical decisions, inspirations for various moments, and much more.

- Audio Commentary #1: Writer-Director Christopher McQuarrie and Composer Joe Kraemer

- Audio Commentary #2: Composer Joe Kraemer

Intention Is Everything: A new 21-minute retrospective piece is provided with production designer Maia Java and art director Thomas Meyer in which they discuss the look of the film, collaborating with Christopher McQuarrie, how locations dictated the choreography, what they want to express with the locations, and more.

Trigger Discipline: A new nine-minute piece is provided with property master Ian Roylance in which he discusses working with Christopher McQuarrie, the detailed list of guns he received, training the performers to handle weapons, and much more.

Cast Interviews: A selection of brief interviews is provided in which the ensemble discusses their characters, what drew them to the project, working with Christopher McQuarrie, and more.

- Ryan Phillippe (1:34)

- Benicio Del Toro (0:54)

- Juliette Lewis (1:35)

- Taye Diggs (1:27)

- Nicky Katt (0:55)

- James Caan (1:01)

Theatrical Trailer (2:17)

TV Spot (0:42)

Final Thoughts

The Way of the Gun is a brash and frenetic action drama that feels slightly derivative of better films, yet still finds ways to entertain in its own way. The key to the story is the bond between the characters played by Ryan Phillippe and Benicio Del Toro, as they are the characters that feel most fleshed out in their unhinged manner. The rest of the ensemble puts forth good work, but director Christopher McQuarrie goes a bit overboard in his directorial debut with some elements that haven’t aged particularly well. There’s fun to be had, but this feels like a product of its time more than many films from this era. Lionsgate has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a gorgeous A/V presentation and a nice array of new and legacy special features. If you are a fan of the film, this new release is a must-have. Recommended

The Way of the Gun is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBook exclusively through Lionsgate Limited.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.