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Thursday, April 25, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD 2 GUNS
EDITOR'S PICK
'2
Guns' - action filled, but tedious
Rating: **
Based on a cult graphic novel by Steven Grant, "2 Guns" is an
intriguing, action packed buddy film complete with greed, corruption, deception
and double crossing.
Two buddies - Bobby Trench (Denzel Washington) and Marcus Stigman (Mark Wahlberg)
after being cheated by a Mexican drug lord (Edward James Olmos) decide to rob a
bank that holds his ill-gotten wealth.
Unwittingly, instead of picking the drug lord's three million dollars, they land
up stacking a little over 43 million dollars belonging to an even more ruthless
organization, the CIA.
Once the heist is done and when their plans go awry, they dwell into their
partner's past and trustworthiness.
They realise that they haven't been truthful to each other; Bobby is an
undercover DEA officer, while Stigman is an ex-Navy officer, each of whom seems
to be putting up a charade.
And that's not all, there are other go-getters trying to claim a stake in the
heist.
Apart from the Mexican drug lord and the ruthless CIA agent (Bill Paxton), the
duo find themselves pitted against their own colleagues with divided loyalties.
They are the seductive DEA agent (Paula Patton) and a slimy Navy official (James
Marsden).
The film has it all - action, trivial nudity, guns, drugs, cartels, more guns,
jokes, funny scenes, vehicle chase in the desert, fisticuffs, restaurant getting
blown up, bank heist, cops, CIA, Naval Intelligence, bad guys and good guys.
Like every other buddy film, Washington and Wahlberg generate an attractive
mismatched chemistry that complements each other.
Washington with gold plates on his teeth seems to have slowed down on his
action. He plays a far lighter role than he usually does in action projects. His
and Wahlberg's interaction does sizzle from the first instinct onwards.
In contrast to Washington, the gum munching Wahlberg lights up the screen with
his punchy one-liners and aggressive adamant role. It is truly enjoyable to see
the two of them rolling on the floor engaged in a fisticuff.
Of the other supporting actors, Paxton and James Olmos serve up a convincing
fare.
Patton as Washington's colleague and love interest hams her way.
Visually the film is attractive with good sound and production quality. The set
action pieces are nothing much to rave about.
Director Baltasar Kormakur's "2 Guns" starts off on a very promising
note. But as the layers unfurl, the plot-holes seem glaring and the film
immediately starts to drag even though the premise is intriguing.
The story gets tedious as the narration sluggishly tries to establish itself. It
rambles and then teases with what looks like a thoughtful plot, with all the
unravelling happening in the second half, it seems like it's made of various
"that would be cool" plot elements strung together.
Watch the film only for Wahlberg and Washington's camaraderie.
Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg lead an all-star cast in 2 Guns, an explosive action film that tracks two operatives from competing bureaus who are forced on the run together. But there is a big problem with their unique alliance: Neither knows that the other is an undercover federal agent.
For the past 12 months, DEA agent Bobby Trench (Washington) and U.S. naval intelligence officer Marcus Stigman (Wahlberg) have been reluctantly attached at the hip. Working undercover as members of a narcotics syndicate, each man distrusts his partner as much as the criminals they have both been tasked to take down.
When their attempt to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel and recover millions goes haywire, Trench and Stigman are suddenly disavowed by their superiors. Now that everyone wants them in jail or in the ground, the only person they can count on is the other. Unfortunately for their pursuers, when good guys spend years pretending to be bad, they pick up a few tricks along the way.
