From Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur (2012’s Contraband) comes his new action comedy 2Guns. Based on the BOOM! Studios comic series of the same name, the movie stars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg as two under cover agents: one DEA, the other NCIS. While investigating one another believing each is stealing money from the mob, they find out they have been set up by the CIA, and so they must work together to return the money and stay alive. This gives way to a very funny action ride that is better than you think it’s going to be.
What the movie manages to do is to bring back that “bromance” style of buddy-cop action that was so prevalent in 1980s and 90s action flicks. This movie is definitely this generations’ Tango & Cash. Without great action comedies like Beverly Hills Cop or Fletch, I don’t think this movie would have worked as well. 2Guns retains all the crucial pieces from those movies to make this such an entertaining ride.
Like in most buddy-cop action flicks, both characters start out at odds against each other but then learn to work together. Denzel Washington takes on the by-the-book straight man to Marky Mark’s fast-talking, shoot-first-ask-questions-later funny man. Both character stereotypes have been seen before and you know going in who and what they’re about. This doesn’t hurt the movie, it makes it better, as the audience you are now ready for the good times that are coming without worrying about a bunch useless baggage.
Both Washington and Wahlberg work great together, they have a very fun chemistry. They are both comfortable with the fast-talking, authority-questioning, renegade roles. Using the Tango & Cash comparison once more, Marky Mark handles the Kurt Russell side of the equation perfectly. He is laugh out loud funny. Even doing his own, “Say hello to your mother for me” joke at one point. The duo together is glue made from gold, and that’s what keeps the movie together.
Rounding out the cast is Paula Patton, James Marsden, Edward James Olmos and Bill Paxton. All turn in solid performances and each use their talents to confuse our two man characters as well as the viewers. Olmos looks like he was having a really good time playing the ultimate drug dealer, Papi Greco. He’s over the top with his lines and actions; they just become part of his character.
Now Bill Paxton is good, but every time he comes on screen, it’s like he’s coming in from a different movie altogether. His character feels out of place and even looks a little lost, but he’s giving it all he’s got so it’s forgivable. But perhaps it’s what makes him so funny?
The action is fun and over the top. Both guys are doing things no human ever should, but it’s not so crazy that it pulls you out of the flick. This is a solid popcorn movie from the start. Grab your best buddy and go to a movie where you watch funny guys blow up a bunch of stuff. With this summer being inundated with huge blockbuster, 2Guns sneakily slides in under the radar.