2 Guns Movie Review

Starring Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Edward James Olmos
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur

The summer is coming to a close, which means the big-budget spectacle is closing with it.  Before we leave, there are still a few more big-named releases to come and you cannot get much bigger than the pairing of Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in a buddy-cop shoot-em-up at the Mexican border in 2 Guns.

Washington stars as Bobby, an undercover DEA agent determined to bring down Papi Greco (James Olmos), a vicious drug runner known for his fondness of torture and beheading his enemies.  Wahlberg plays ‘Stig’, an undercover Naval Officer, attempting the same ploy.  Even as the two men have been partnered up for the same goal, they remain unaware that each other are firmly on the fairly right side of the law.

When they decide to steal the cartel’s millions from a local bank in order to goose the cartel’s hand, Bobby and Stig are double, triple and quadruple-crossed as the money becomes a link to a much bigger operation than they had planned.

Also in play are Deb (Paula Patton), Bobby’s liaison and love interest at the DEA; Quince (James Marsden), who gives Stig the go-ahead to the operation; and Earl (Bill Paxton), the twisted assassin sent to retrieve the money at all costs.  As Bobby and Stig fight to stay alive, they continue to fight their friends and each other in true 48 Hours / Last Boy Scout style.

Anything more would give too much but suffice it to say, 2 Guns is all about the pairing of Washington and Wahlberg.  Both men are firmly in their R-rated bloody-action wheelhouse here and they clearly love working together.  This is one of those actor pairings most people would not expect to work, but it is the absolute best thing about the film.

As a long-time admirer of Washington’s and often a critic of Wahlberg, this I will clearly say: I enjoyed Wahlberg more than Washington here.  Shocking, yes.  But Stig is quick, fun, clever and continuously says things at the worst possible time.  Where Washington plays his Bobby as more cool and calculated, though not nearly as smart as he seems to think he is.

The rest of the actors all play their end well, yet the only real standout is Paxton.  To see Paxton go against type and relish his role as a vicious enforcer is something we could use a little more of.

The action is fleeting and for most of the film, director Baltasar Kormákur does a great job keeping the movie moving, until the last act where the writers reach a little too far on the probability chart.  Still, this is a fun, gritty, action buddy-comedy action thriller and feels like it could have been lifted straight out of the 90’s.

And for the most part, that is a good thing.

If $10 is the full price of admission, this one is worth $6.50

 

Aaron Peterson
Film Reviewer
The Hollywood Outsider Podcast