"2 Guns" - directed by Baltasar Kormakur
When Tony Scott died last year Ron Howard tweeted something that immediately resonated with me.
He said - "No more Tony Scott movies. Tragic Day"
Of all the movie community tweets and quotes that came out in the hours after the directors death Howard's was the one that summed up best how I felt.
I initially felt somewhat selfish in reacting that way but I think in hindsight there was no need.
Scott's body of work is a great legacy and for people that didn't know him personally it is why we too will miss him.
And I miss his work all the more when I see a movie like "2 Guns" starring Denzel Washington who was without doubt Scott's leading man of choice.
They made four movies together and all of them stylish action thrillers including submarine flick "Crimson Tide", the violently delightful "Man On Fire" and "Deja Vu" which starred "2 Guns" co-star Paula Patton.
Were he alive today Scott may well have directed "2 Guns" himself.
It is the same sort of violent potboiler with slick dialogue and stylish cinematography that he was so good at creating.
There aren't too many hardcore action movies released anymore - as if we need another reason to mourn Scott's passing.
The Die Hard series has morphed into an anemic PG-13 joke (yes- I know that the last one was R-rated but lord only knows why) and even genuinely R-rated action flicks like "The Expendables 2" still seem soft - more interested in laughs than thrills.
And then there is "2 Guns".
After the disappointment of "Machete Kills" I was looking to this film to fill the action void.
Helmed by the man who delivered the disappointing "Contraband" last year this re-teams Icelandic director Baltasar Kormadur with the star of that movie- Mark Wahlberg.
It showed promise in the trailers with some Scott-esque slow motion action shots and some slick back and forth between stars Washington and Wahlberg.
"2 Guns" is basically a buddy movie along the lines of "48 Hours" and "Midnight Run".
Washington is a DEA Agent unaware that the man that he is pulling bank jobs with is also undercover but in this case with the military.
It certainly begins well with a great diner scene exhibiting some smartly written banter and a nice touch in the editing.
An intriguing line up of co-stars is introduced shortly afterwards with Edward James Olmos as a Mexican Cartel boss, Cyclops himself James Marsden as a Navy officer, Bill Paxton as a shady who-knows-what? and a sizzling Paula Patton as a DEA agent and sometime girlfriend of Denzel Washington's Bobby.
(For fans of the beautiful Patton - yes, she does take her top up but no- it is not nearly as revealing as the pre-release hype would have you believe).
What is apparent in these early scenes is considerable chemistry between leads Washington and Wahlberg.
Dialogue plays a big part but the pair bring out their best tough guy with a smirk attitudes and they bounce off each other damned well.
Each character has traits that add just a little extra.
I like the flirty wink that Wahlberg's Stig employs around attractive women and Washington's Bobby makes full use of the actors famous smile- this time aided by some fake gold teeth.
An argument over a breakfast order and a couple of catchphrase lines later and I was enjoying the time with this duo.
Bill Paxton also does some fine work as a sleazy thug employing a well practiced and very Tarantinoesque Russian roulette interrogation routine.
Half an hour in and all of the pieces are in place.
Bobby and Stig know each others true identities and the stakes have been made clear.
In this case it is $43,000,000 in dodgy drug money.
But who is really behind it and who can be trusted?
Motivations are clear - loyalties not so much.
There are surprises along the way but nothing too far out of left field.
The fun in "2 Guns" really does rest in the pairing of Washington and Wahlberg.
I imagine that they had quite a lot of fun making this film and I hope that further pairings are possible.
This is ostensibly an action movie and what action there is is nicely done.
There is a respectable amount of it but no one scene that is really memorable.
Apart from lacking a killer action scene "2 Guns" is surprisingly bloodless for an R rated movie .
This does serve to keep the tone lighter but the film suffers in the final third when a darker tone is required but doesn't emerge.
It is a tricky thing I'm sure to have it both ways but movies like "True Romance", "The Departed" and "Die Hard" manage it.
Director Kormakur does a nice job though and this is a huge step up from his last film "Contraband".
Acting honours go to Washington who remains without equal in delivering these sorts of charismatic, edgy characters.
Wahlberg is good but too much of his dialogue is lost in an often rushed, mumbled delivery.
Frequently I had to guess at what he had said and it is surprising that this was allowed to make it past post production.
It's not a deal breaker and "2 Guns" is a very solid piece of action filmmaking with a terrific pairing in its leads.
It benefits hugely from the likes of Paxton, Edward James Olmos and a brief stint from the great Fred Ward in support.
There is enough originality and spark to make this easy to recommend on the condition that you have already seen "Gravity".
There is a distinct lack of this kind of film and "2 Guns" is a nice little action romp.
It is well made, nicely acted and slickly shot.
The only criticism that I can fairly make is that it is just very good rather than great.
The pacing is a little flat at the point that it needed to be picking up speed.
In another time this might have had the sure hand of Tony Scott guiding it.
With a truly notable action scene, a more memorable score and a perhaps a tighter script with better pacing it could have been amazing.
As it stands it is fun and better than most of the other action movies released this year and therefore a must see for fans of the genre.
He said - "No more Tony Scott movies. Tragic Day"
Of all the movie community tweets and quotes that came out in the hours after the directors death Howard's was the one that summed up best how I felt.
I initially felt somewhat selfish in reacting that way but I think in hindsight there was no need.
Scott's body of work is a great legacy and for people that didn't know him personally it is why we too will miss him.
And I miss his work all the more when I see a movie like "2 Guns" starring Denzel Washington who was without doubt Scott's leading man of choice.
They made four movies together and all of them stylish action thrillers including submarine flick "Crimson Tide", the violently delightful "Man On Fire" and "Deja Vu" which starred "2 Guns" co-star Paula Patton.
Were he alive today Scott may well have directed "2 Guns" himself.
It is the same sort of violent potboiler with slick dialogue and stylish cinematography that he was so good at creating.
There aren't too many hardcore action movies released anymore - as if we need another reason to mourn Scott's passing.
The Die Hard series has morphed into an anemic PG-13 joke (yes- I know that the last one was R-rated but lord only knows why) and even genuinely R-rated action flicks like "The Expendables 2" still seem soft - more interested in laughs than thrills.
And then there is "2 Guns".
After the disappointment of "Machete Kills" I was looking to this film to fill the action void.
Helmed by the man who delivered the disappointing "Contraband" last year this re-teams Icelandic director Baltasar Kormadur with the star of that movie- Mark Wahlberg.
It showed promise in the trailers with some Scott-esque slow motion action shots and some slick back and forth between stars Washington and Wahlberg.
 |
| Washington and Wahlberg- walking the walk, talking the talk and shooting the shit |
Washington is a DEA Agent unaware that the man that he is pulling bank jobs with is also undercover but in this case with the military.
It certainly begins well with a great diner scene exhibiting some smartly written banter and a nice touch in the editing.
An intriguing line up of co-stars is introduced shortly afterwards with Edward James Olmos as a Mexican Cartel boss, Cyclops himself James Marsden as a Navy officer, Bill Paxton as a shady who-knows-what? and a sizzling Paula Patton as a DEA agent and sometime girlfriend of Denzel Washington's Bobby.
(For fans of the beautiful Patton - yes, she does take her top up but no- it is not nearly as revealing as the pre-release hype would have you believe).
What is apparent in these early scenes is considerable chemistry between leads Washington and Wahlberg.
Dialogue plays a big part but the pair bring out their best tough guy with a smirk attitudes and they bounce off each other damned well.
Each character has traits that add just a little extra.
I like the flirty wink that Wahlberg's Stig employs around attractive women and Washington's Bobby makes full use of the actors famous smile- this time aided by some fake gold teeth.
An argument over a breakfast order and a couple of catchphrase lines later and I was enjoying the time with this duo.
Bill Paxton also does some fine work as a sleazy thug employing a well practiced and very Tarantinoesque Russian roulette interrogation routine.
 |
| Paula Patton - sizzling |
Bobby and Stig know each others true identities and the stakes have been made clear.
In this case it is $43,000,000 in dodgy drug money.
But who is really behind it and who can be trusted?
Motivations are clear - loyalties not so much.
There are surprises along the way but nothing too far out of left field.
The fun in "2 Guns" really does rest in the pairing of Washington and Wahlberg.
I imagine that they had quite a lot of fun making this film and I hope that further pairings are possible.
This is ostensibly an action movie and what action there is is nicely done.
There is a respectable amount of it but no one scene that is really memorable.
Apart from lacking a killer action scene "2 Guns" is surprisingly bloodless for an R rated movie .
This does serve to keep the tone lighter but the film suffers in the final third when a darker tone is required but doesn't emerge.
It is a tricky thing I'm sure to have it both ways but movies like "True Romance", "The Departed" and "Die Hard" manage it.
Director Kormakur does a nice job though and this is a huge step up from his last film "Contraband".
 |
| The supporting cast is excellent - James Marsden (left), Bill Paxton (middle) and Edward James Olmos (right) |
Wahlberg is good but too much of his dialogue is lost in an often rushed, mumbled delivery.
Frequently I had to guess at what he had said and it is surprising that this was allowed to make it past post production.
It's not a deal breaker and "2 Guns" is a very solid piece of action filmmaking with a terrific pairing in its leads.
It benefits hugely from the likes of Paxton, Edward James Olmos and a brief stint from the great Fred Ward in support.
There is enough originality and spark to make this easy to recommend on the condition that you have already seen "Gravity".
There is a distinct lack of this kind of film and "2 Guns" is a nice little action romp.
It is well made, nicely acted and slickly shot.
The only criticism that I can fairly make is that it is just very good rather than great.
The pacing is a little flat at the point that it needed to be picking up speed.
In another time this might have had the sure hand of Tony Scott guiding it.
With a truly notable action scene, a more memorable score and a perhaps a tighter script with better pacing it could have been amazing.
As it stands it is fun and better than most of the other action movies released this year and therefore a must see for fans of the genre.
| Rated | R16 for violence, language and nudity |
| Running Time: | 109 minutes (1hr, 41 mins without end credits) |
| Starring: |
| Denzel Washington | ---Robert 'Bobby' Trench |
| Mark Wahlberg | --- Michael 'Stig' Stigman |
| Paula Patton | --- Deb |
| Bill Paxton | --- Earl |
| Fred Ward | --- Admiral Tuwey |
| James Marsden | --- Quince |
| Edward James Olmos | --- Papi Greco |
| Robert John Burke | --- Jessup |
| Greg Spoles | --- Chief Lucas |
| Patrick Fischler | --- Dr. Ken |
| Azure Parsons | --- Maggie the waitress |
| Edgar Arreola | --- Rudy (Papi's Men) |
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