2 GUNS
(R)
MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5)
STARRING
Denzel Washington as ROBERT ‘BOBBY’ TRENCH
Mark Wahlberg as MICHAEL ‘STIG’ STIGMAN
Paula Patton as DEB
Bill Paxton as EARL
Fred Ward as ADMIRAL TUWEY
James Marsden as QUINCE
Edward James Olmos as JESSUP
Studio: Universal
Directed by: Baltasar Kormákur
BY KEVIN CARR
In general, I like both Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg as movie stars, so it seems I would have really enjoyed “2 Guns.”
Not so. Of course, I’ve seen plenty of films from these guys that I didn’t find very good (for example, “Broken City” and “Collateral” for Wahlberg and “Safe House” and “Book of Eli” for Washington). Putting together on screen in “2 Guns” made the film more about a battle of egos with two guys who love the spotlight unable to share it.
Check out my full review and synopsis of the theatrical film here, but for the short version, let’s just say this movie had trouble finding its center. Both Washington and Wahlberg were meant to be guys who operated slightly outside of the law, which was ironically their job. They both play gray characters – with Washington more gray than Wahlberg, both literally and figuratively. We are supposed to root for them both as heroes and antiheroes.
Sure, they’re going against some real bad guys… worse than either of these two ever could be. However, they don’t seem comfortable walking that line. Maybe it was just too much for them to play both sides of the coin while also fighting with the other for command of the screen and ownership of the movie.
At its core, “2 Guns” is nothing more than a direct-to-video actioner with A-list stars and a major studio behind it. It’s full of cliches and murky writing. It tries to be funny with over-the-top performances by Bill Paxton as a dirty CIA agent. However, it also tries to be deadly serious with Edward James Olmos as the vicious cartel boss.
Had this movie been a disposable film you might swerve into on cable, it would work. But with the weight of two A-list actors who normally carry movies themselves, it just wasn’t good enough to work.
The Blu-ray has a nice selection of special features, at least. In addition to including the DVD and a digital download via UltraViolet, the film has deleted and extended scenes, a feature commentary and the featurette “Undercover and Into Action.” Featurettes exclusive to the Blu-ray include “The Good, the Bad and the Sexy,” “Finding the Vibe” and “Living Dangerously.”