johnlink ranks 2 GUNS (2013)
Both Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington have had hits and misses in the past half a decade. Heck, one of Wahlberg’s misses was CONTRABAND, which was directed by 2 GUNS director Baltasar Kormakur. So how would 2 GUNS turn out?
I watched 2 GUNS (2013) on 5.21.14. It was my first viewing of the film.
Bobby (Denzel Washington) and Stig (Mark Wahlberg) are a couple of guns out working the drug scene. Who they are is questionable and, though I assume some trailers have given it away, I won’t do it here. They get themselves in some hot water with a whole bunch of people. CIA, Navy, FBI, DEA, and (for kicks) some Mexican Drug Cartel.
The Macguffin in this movie is 40 plus million dollars. Everyone wants it. Denzel and Mary Mark sort of want it, but they more want to know who’s it is and why they have it. A smart bank robbery starts this thing, and the movie propels forward from there.
This is a movie very much in the vein of something like BAD BOYS. The dialogue is sharp and smart. Wahlberg and Washington have a nice chemistry and play up the love/hate thing. The action is really solid and the surprises are decent enough.
Complaints? There are a few. This probably has too many characters. This wouldn’t be a big deal if not for the fact that very little gets sorted out until the finale, making for a less than crisp final battle. Also, the action begins to jump the shark a little bit when our heroes invade a Navy base. Things become a little bit too easy, a little bit too loose. The action sequences in the opening scenes are tight and intense. As the movie tries to get bigger it loses that specificity.
On the other hand, this is a fun flick; another throwback to the 90s films where the villains are one-dimensional (here played by Edward James Olmos and Bill Paxton and James Marsden) and we know where we are headed by fifteen minutes into the movie. Fortunately, 2 GUNS mostly delivers on the promise even if the action stagnates rather than improves.
Director Baltasar Kormakur absolutely borrows shots, images, and tone from the best of Michael Bay’s early stuff and some of Tony Scott’s lighter work. This is a smart move when going action, because Bay sure knows how to frame an action sequence and Scott knew how to give something more weight than it seemed to deserve. 2 GUNS may not be any of these folks’ finest hour, but it certainly is an action movie worthy of finding its way into the rotation of films to absorb every few years.
SCORES
FILM: 6; MOVIE: 8; ACTING: 6; WRITING: 6
6+8+6+6+0=26
FINAL SCORE: 6.5 out of 10
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Good review John. All sorts of dumb and silly, much like I expected from a movie like this. But it was also a lot of fun too, so I can’t forget about that.
Best part of the movie was the preview for it. Whoever made that preview should be promoted — they made a weak movie look good! Then again, that’s also what happened with THE SPIRIT — which has my FAVORITE teaser ad but which, unfortunately, is one of the weakest movies I have seen. I think you’re a bit too generous with 2 GUNS, but then again, taste is subjective. Danny p.s. You never DID answer my q re 12 CHAIRS; that is, what are the twelve chairs? I only counted eleven (re the Mel Brooks movie)…
Yep, subjective it is. I enjoyed it less as it went on, but still enough to have had a good time.
I avoid all trailers at all times whenever possible. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into, other than knowing the stars and that it was an action movie.
As for Twelve Chairs… I’ll have to revisit it. Haven’t watched it since I wrote that review. I haven’t seen the eleven chairs complaint elsewhere, but maybe you are onto something!
Thanks for reading.
Thanks for responding! Keep up the good work.