Baltasar Kormakur’s “2 Guns” is one of those movies that are
just ripe for nitpicking. It’s based on a series of graphic novels by Steven
Grant, but unlike most comic book adaptations these days, it’s not gritty and
hard boiled, like the recent Batman and Superman films, nor is it PG-13 lite,
like all of the recent Marvel movies. It definitely deserves its R Rating
(there’s plenty of violence and swearing, along with some nudity) but it’s also
extremely silly and over the top. It’s essentially light action entertainment
for adults; all logic and plausibility within normal bounds is thrown out the
window and there aren’t any serious consequences.
It has such a casual, “screw it” attitude. Here’s a movie
where the main characters (played by Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg) don’t
think twice about breaking into a navy base (and they do it by simply driving
through the gate and outrunning the guards), make sarcastic comments as they’re
about to be tortured by a Mexican drug cartel boss, and very casually go into a
police station and lock the cops up in the holding cells so they don’t
interfere right away with a nearby bank robbery. So, with all of this, it’s
easy to simply role your eyes and tear this movie to shreds.
But even in a movie as silly and unbelievable as this, authenticity
can be found if the filmmakers can get you to believe in the characters and if the
right actors play those characters. “2 Guns” succeeds in doing this and therefore
the movie works…somewhat. Wahlberg and Washington are really the only
legitimate reason to see this. Wahlberg plays Michael Stigman, a navy Intel
officer hired to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel. Washington plays Robert
Trench, a DEA agent hired to do the same thing. They’re also supposed to bust
one another in the process. But of course things go wrong, forty-three million
dollars goes missing from a bank, and both guys are double crossed and framed
by their superiors. (Speaking of double crossing, there’s so much double
crossing and betrayal in this movie that you could make a successful drinking
game.) Now they have to work together to…well, I think you get the idea.
Right away in the opening scene (where we find the two
undercover agents in a diner scoping out a bank where supposedly the cartel is
keeping money) we get a buddy comedy vibe, one that carries through the
duration of the film. To my knowledge this is the first time the two actors
have collaborated but based on this early scene alone it feels like their fifth
or sixth; their back and forth comedic banter being so entertaining and
believable. It’s nice to see an action movie like this that values dialogue.
Both roles play to the actors’ strengths. As I said in my
review of last year’s “Safe House,” Washington can usually make the best of his
role, even if the movie isn’t entirely there to support him. Robert Trench
isn’t foreign territory for him; he’s wise, manipulative, charismatic and
fearless. Most of the time he’s in control and when he isn’t he has no trouble getting
out of a bad situation. In other words this is the sort of role Washington can
play in his sleep, but that doesn’t make it him any less fun to watch.
As for Wahlberg, he once again showcases his almost flawless
ability to do comedy. Stigman is confident and ambitious but kind of dumb and
reckless, who seems to act mainly on instinct and split second decisions (it is
his idea to break into the navy base by just driving through the gate) and he’s
also a loud mouth. As with Washington, Wahlberg is a natural in this role and
together the two play off each other wonderfully. A lot of times with these
kinds of films the casting can make all the difference and having Wahlberg and
Washington gives this movie a major boost.
It also helps that the movie doesn’t take itself too
seriously. For how familiar the story is, why not have some fun with it? And it
helps that the movie keeps that comedic tone intact. The major problem with
Kormakur’s last directorial effort “Contraband” (also with Wahlberg) is that it
wanted to be a gritty, hard-boiled crime film as well as a loose and silly
action film; as a result the two dueling tones undermined the whole picture. In
“2 Guns” the tone stays consistent.
Despite all the praise I’ve given this movie, I’m not going
to tell you that “2 Guns” is any kind of great movie, it will be forgotten in a
month or two. Without nitpicking it still has flaws, notably the fact that most
of the supporting characters don’t have a lot to do. Like Paula Patton, who
plays a rather dull love interest for Trench or Edward James Olmos and Bill
Paxton who both play one-note cartoon villains. They can be entertaining yes,
but you wish there was more for these two talented actors to do.
Even so, Walberg and Washington are a lot of fun to watch
and keep the movie from collapsing in on itself. I hope they work together
again in a better movie.
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