2 GUNS Review: Fun with Denzel and Mark (No Spoilers)

Fearless, sarcastic and witty action heroes are irresistible. Bruce Willis, Kurt Russell and Mel Gibson were the best at in the 80’s. Recently, due to bigger budgets and the search for family friendly ratings, these kind of character have become duller. Or just plain mean if the filmmakers try to ride the “dark and gritty wave”.

It’s a refreshing blast from the past to see Mark Wahlberg (‘Stig’) in 2 Guns pulling off a badass that is equally relatable, funny and violent. Denzel Washington (‘Bobby’) is a more serious counter balance to the stream of jokes, flirting behavior and impulsive reactions.

The movie (a graphic novel adaptation) keeps things interesting by having three competing sides trying to outsmart and kill Bobby and Stig: A Mexican Cartel, the C.I.A. and rogue elements from the Navy. The duo also faces each other after working together under false identities inside the drug-dealing underworld.

Wahlberg’s character does get cartoonish at times. He never takes things seriously even when the stakes can’t be higher. Washington’s scenes have a thriller vibe while the protagonist of TED seems to operate in a lighter, more comedic space. That would be a problem if he wasn’t always funny.

The villains are as much fun to watch as the heroes, with Bill Paxton and Edward James Olmos (our exclusive interview with him here) injecting charisma into their ruthless personas. James Marsden’s baddie and Paula Patton’s love interest are much less memorable players.

This cat and mouse game can be a little too convoluted at moments but never boring. With well crafted action sequences, tense scenes, unexpected developments and hilarious dialogue, 2 Guns succeeds where many buddy cop movies fail.

2 Guns is in theaters now, August 2. Watch this restricted preview, spiced up Latino style.