2 Guns

"2 Guns" is an entertaining movie in which I liked both of the two actors who are on leading roles and these are Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg.

Especially I liked the plot of this movie that kept me in tense and this is a really cool feeling when a movie can make you feel it. In this movie we have many action scenes, many gun shootings and of course humor between the actors.

Finally I want to tell you that if you want to see an entertaining movie which will make you sometimes laugh and on the other hand make you fell this tense I talked about previously, then you have to see it!

Had a chance to view it this week with only the trailer as a guide as to what I was about to see. It turned out to be mildly better than I was anticipating. Mark Wahlberg brought a comical element that worked with the overall story with Denzel basically being the straight man throughout. Denzel plays his role smoothly with a slight sarcastic comedic side. I thought they both played off each other very well to keep you intrigued with the ongoing twisting plot. Good to see James Edward Olmos after a long absence from the big screen. Always be LT. Castillo from Miami Vice fame to me. Don't base your opinion on the trailer as I had. Worth a look.

2 Guns is reminiscent of buddy cop movies in the late eighties and nineties. Unlike a lot of recent throwback 80's action films, it tastefully retains much of the fun factor by concentrating on character and dialogue and removing some of the modern tropes that have gone stale, like overloading the film with pop culture references. With its setup and buddy dynamic, at times it actually reminded me of the 1996 Adam Sandler and Damon Wayons buddy cop movie Bulletproof.

What elevated 2 Guns from standard action fare were exactly the snappy lines and the buddy dynamic between Washington and Wahlberg. The two lead actors create a believable long-time friendship and it gave the movie a sizzling charm that you just can't look away from. Watching Walhberg and Washington rapidly throw zingers back and forth alone made the price of admission. After seeing his facetious performance in this film, it's easy now to imagine Mark Wahlberg taking over the role of Tony Stark in future Marvel films.

The film has a good supporting cast. James Marsden and Edward James Olmos seem overqualified for these supporting roles. It's nice to see them but they have too little time to truly shine. Paula Patton is cast in a seemingly intelligent female role, but is ultimately there for her sex appeal. Bill Paxton is the only one who gets to properly chew up some scenery as a scary CIA agent with a flair for torturing his victims.

The story moved along fast like a shark, for fear that stopping for a thoughtful pause would ruin its momentum and shatter the illusion of how complicated the plot seems. The action scenes are fun. More importantly, they are visible and you can follow what's going on. When it came to the finale, the film forgoes all the dramatic buildup from the first two acts and serves a lesser solution to its conflict. Had it been a slower moving story with less charming leads, I would have considered the finale a cop out ending.

But this time, I just went with it. 2 Guns just oozes old school charm, and charm can go a long way.

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Hard to really complain about this film because coming into it you're going to know what you're getting just from the title and poster. I guess the cast may have made you think it was a much bigger better film, but even then the first five minutes of banter and cool, consequence- free violence should tell you what you're watching. Yes this is another action movie with two mismatched leads who trade quips and bullets with everyone in their path and each other. The details of the plot don't matter too much but it is reasonably twisty and I liked it for that even if very little of it holds any water if you examine it with more than a passing glance. Of course the job of the film is to stop you lingering on the detail and in this regard it works pretty well.

The action is overblown and the dialogue is typical corny macho fare but it is delivered with energy and good timing so it is easy to enjoy it for what it is. Although you do get the sense that Washington and Wahlberg are both slumming it a little bit, they both deliver even when not in top gear. So yes Washington appears to be channeling a watered down version of his Training Day performance while Wahlberg dos his usual cute delivery and running stuff, but it works well and they spark off each other nicely. I also liked that I never felt they took it seriously and they helped me relax into it, which is useful. The supporting cast features plenty of faces but they don't get to enjoy themselves quite as much as the lead two. Patton is stunning and the film knows it, Paxton is hammy but not quite to the level of being memorable as a villain, Olmos is generic while Marsden does what is asked of him.

This is not a great film by any means but it works within its own genre well enough and delivers what is important for that type of film. The playing of the lead two breaks no moulds but they take the genre standards and add their own star-power and charm to it, enjoying themselves while they do, which in turn makes the film easier to enjoy. If you're looking for something memorable then go elsewhere but if you want silly banter and unrealistic gunplay then this is worth a look.

Bobby (Beans) Trench (Denzel Washington) and Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) work together to rob a bank where they know drug lord Papi (Edward James Olmos) keeps his money, but each doesn't know the other is a lawman trying to take Papi down. However, instead of the $3-million they expect from Papi's money, they take out about $43-million. Now, they are confused. Whose money is this?

And, from here things get twisty after Stig learns that Bobby Beans is a DEA agent and shoots Bobby and takes off with the money. And also, it is here that the story hinges on the $43-million and brings out other players from the woodwork.

We are not sure if Bobby Beans and/or Stig are really good guys or bad guys and it takes a long while for us to know which is which. This holds us because we want each one to be a good guy.

The interplay between the Washington and Wahlberg characters is good, but I found it and some of their snappy lines "forced" at times.

However, this is entertaining mostly because of the pacing, very good stunts and the twists around every corner. Just when you think things would get somewhat better, another twist comes into play to make matters worse. Other players like Bill Paxton as Earl, Paula Patton as Deb and James Marsden as Commander Quince aka Harvey contribute to the complications big time. (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: Yes, briefly. Language: Yes, at times.