MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Buddy Cop Action-Comedy/Stars: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton, Bill Paxton, James Marsden, Fred Ward, Edward James Olmos, Robert John Burke, Patrick Fischler, Edgar Arreola/ Runtime: 109 minutes
Among the 12 months on any calendrical year, it is common knowledge by even the most casual of movie goer that the month of August is one that has a rather unique distinction to it. Namely that this is a month that, alongside January, is one that is often seen as a cinematic graveyard or bonfire (dependent on the viewer). Yet whilst this is a month that is noteworthy for being the one where a lot of the quote-unquote “less desirable” summer flicks are sent to in order to just pad a month and make as much money as they possibly can for their studio of choice, it is also one where surprising gems can be found if we as movie goers are lucky (take the very first Guardians of the Galaxy back in 2014 for example). Of course, I am not entirely sure that a slice of cinema that has both Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg (a pair of actors I immensely enjoy incidentally) as co-leads could ever been seen as a genuine under-the-radar hit. Yet back in 2013 that is exactly what they gave movie goers with the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today 2 Guns. Indeed this slice of cinema may be quite predictable in terms of its narrative in a lot of ways, but what threw me for a loop wasn’t just how well-shot and filmed this movie was. Rather, it was how every single actor looked like they were having the time of their life and treating this film with the same amount of energy, enthusiasm, and even passion that you might see from a cast in a film vying for an Academy Award or 10. Suffice it to say that of course this film will never be seen as a prestige picture by any stretch, but 2 Guns is one that is well cast and well shot, but is also undoubtedly a lot of fun to be had and truth be told sometimes that’s really all you need from a movie.
The plot is as follows: An adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name, 2 Guns gets its rollicking yarn underway as we are taken to the small town of Tres Cruces in the state of New Mexico. A place incidentally known for its scenery and small town charm, but also where a dynamic male criminal duo consisting of a gold-toothed yet enigmatically smooth guy named Bobby Trench and a self-confessed ladies’ man who’s also good with a pistol named Stig Stigman have just made the choice to take part in a teeny tiny bank robbery in order to make off with no less than 3 mil that happen to be the personal finances of a ruthless and volatile Mexican drug kingpin by the name of Papi Greco. Their reason? The crusty old timer won’t work with them on a major cocaine deal they’ve been putting together so they figure this might just work out better for their interests and maybe even light a bit of a fire under the old man’s butt to get him to the negotiating table. Yet lest you think that you know our two protagonists through and through (in no small part due to countless other movies which have featured a fairly similar narrative to this one) trust me when I say there is more to them than you might be thinking. This is because as we in the audience soon learn, Trench is an undercover DEA operative whilst Stigman is an undercover agent with Naval Intelligence who are both on separate individual assignments to try and topple Greco’s drug empire by any means necessary. As for the bank heist, well that is supposed to be the crippling blow which will see Greco and his operations shut down for good. Or at least that was before our dynamic duo, in the midst of the robbery, discover that rather than the 3 mil their intelligence suggested was in the bank there is actually about 37 million more than they had anticipated. Suffice it to say it isn’t long before our duo put four and four together and realize that they are being set up by their respective agencies and, upon being disavowed, must now flee from a smorgasbord of villainous forces who all would love to get their paws on the money. Namely Stigman’s now-former c.o., Greco’s private army of hired goons, and a mysterious yet slimy black ops agent who takes great delight in interrogating people utilizing that old time-honored tradition known as Russian roulette. Suffice it to say can our dynamic duo learn to legitimately work together in order to not only get the money, but also save their hides from the onslaught of bad guys trying to kill them? That I will leave for you to discover dear reader….
Now right off the bat, it should be noted that this film’s helmer, a guy who got his start in helming mainstream slices of cinema in his native Iceland that internationally were presented more as indie cinema, has really made the American popcorn action cinema genre his own in a wonderful manner. Indeed here is a director who is just as comfortable at giving us a scene where two trucks play a game of tag in the middle of the desert as he is with a scene of our two leads stealthily making their way through a Navy base in the Lone Star State. Indeed when it is firing on all cylinders, this is one slice of cinema that in many respects reminds me to some degree of the work done by film helmer Walter Hill. Not only in how it puts a priority on its protagonists working together, but also in its lively and delightfully unpretentious action beats that are actually given a wonderful amount of clarity thus making it easy to determine just what in the heck is going on unlike all but one of say the Transformers movies for example. It also doesn’t hurt that this slice of cinema’s cinematography is extremely beautiful and its score is one that manages to be a terrific mix of energetic and easy going in equal measure. Indeed if there is anything I’m not really a fan of about this slice of cinema, perhaps the only thing I really have to gripe about this slice of cinema in regards to the work done behind the camera would be the fact that unlike in Contraband where there was some hefty emotional stakes involved for the main character in the form of the danger being faced by his family back home. In this slice of cinema however, there sadly is nowhere even close to that level of emotional stakes which are attached to it despite this film’s director and his screenwriter’s valiant attempts to try and utilize distinct narrative threads to speak toward the contrary. Any way you choose to look at it however, there is no denying that this slice of cinema is most assuredly a wonderful and proclamative next step for its helmer in the aftermath of 2012’s (also starring Mark Wahlberg and distributed by Universal Studios) action-thriller Contraband. Not that Contraband was terrible by any means, but whereas that one still mostly kept a lot of the style and color palate from his earlier works, this slice of cinema manages to really give us some truly vibrant and astonishing moments throughout including a literal Mexican stand-off complete with running of the bulls for good measure. Suffice it to say that I have no doubt that the helmer of this slice of cinema may want to do movies that are bit more “critic friendly”, but I would just like to say that if he wants to make more of these fun popcorn action films that would most assuredly be just as wonderful because he definitely has the skill and passion for it.
Now in terms of performances, it should be noted that this slice of cinema manages to be for a delightfully wonderful character-based film for both of its leading men in that yes they are getting the chance to play parts in this that are not too separate from the kinds of parts that we as movie goers have gotten to see time and time again from them, but this one does provide some wonderfully novel twists and turns in regards to both guys’ personalities. As a result we see that Washington, complete with some seriously legit gold teeth he’s rocking, is able to sink into the role he’s playing while he is undercover of a well-connected gun for hire fairly well, but also has no problem with transitioning back into being a grim and to the point DEA operative when he is dealing with his handlers on the case. Yet in case you’re worried this slice of cinema is not going to ever let us get the full-on sense of gravitas that Washington is known for bringing to every role he has ever played, you will be delighted to know that Washington is allowed to actually bring a decent degree of gravity to the part since this slice of cinema actually does manage to go down some pretty dark roads in this due to the bad guys finding ways to legitimately raise the heat so to speak on our dynamic duo at times. By the same token, we see that Wahlberg decides to wonderfully tap into a comedic motor mouthed affable chap type shtick more so than the on-point toughie. Yet when push comes to shove we see that Wahlberg has no problem putting his skill with a firearm to use in order to put any doubt about what he brings to the table to rest. Suffice it to say that yes this slice of cinema does place them on separate paths for a little bit when they are trying to deal with people in their respective agencies, but when the two are able to share screen time together be it when they are bickering back and forth or kicking some serious bad guy butt they manage to be at their best. Yet with that in mind however, there is no denying that this is most assuredly not your run of the mill entry in the buddy comedy genre courtesy of the fact that our dynamic duo through the course of the middle of the film are left having to figure out not only who they are squaring off against, but also just how much trouble they are in as well. With that said, there is no denying that the support cast backing our two leads up is fairly strong as well starting with Paula Patton who is a wonderfully strong female presence in an otherwise male-dominated film even IF some parts of her role might be a tad bit predictable. We also get a very fun and lively performance from the always enjoyable Edward James Olmos as the drug lord at the heart of the narrative. Out of everyone in the supporting cast however, the one who looks like he is having easily the most fun is the late yet great Bill Paxton in the enigmatic role of Earl who the less said about him here the better. What I can say is that while Paxton does give this character a necessary degree of both ruthlessness and also an undisguised murderous temper, he also gives him something else. Namely a wonderful degree of over the top cartoony villainy, but also a fairly sweet moustache as well. I mean I love Bill Paxton as an actor, but it is always a delight to go back and see him literally play a moustache-twirling antagonist alongside such wonderful collaborators as Wahlberg and (especially) Washington. Suffice it to say that the cast in this may not have been gunning for Oscar nods for their work with this film, but they are having a blast with this material and they truly help make this a fun time to waste a couple of hours.
All in all flaws with this particular slice of cinema aside, there is no denying that 2 Guns is a slice of cinema that very much gives off the vibe of being a tribute to a distinct yet loved summer flick that the land of movie magic really doesn’t seem that intent on making as much as they used to. That being the type which takes the shape and the form of the very much meant to be R-rated buddy action/comedy film. Indeed this film is very much the kind that would have been right at home back in the 80s and 90s especially if it was one that was given to audiences by either Joel Silver or the powerhouse partnership of Bruckheimer/Simpson. Suffice it to say that 2 Guns really does manage to work wonderfully when viewed through that distinct prism as here is a film which is a good solid close to 105 minutes of backstabbing, one gorgeous woman, cheesy to the hilt jokes, and some truly on-point action beats all blended together in beautifully chaotic synchronicity. I mean make no mistake dear reader: this slice of cinema most definitely is not a perfect film by any stretch of the imagination. Nor for that matter is it one that manages to be a complete and utter game changer either. Rather, this is one that is very much run of the mill, but in the case of this slice of cinema that is by no means a bad think. Indeed truth be told every so often, I feel that if the land of movie magic can still provide older movie goers with an R-rated popcorn action film that is meant definitively for their viewing pleasure and it actually be good and/or entertaining then there is still hope for the future. Jokes aside, if you are someone who would like to see a genuinely entertaining R-rated gritty 80s-style popcorn action flick complete with a game and wonderful cast then definitely give this one a shot. I promise you won’t be disappointed. On a scale of 1-5 I give 2 Guns “2013” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
