2 Guns (2013)

In 2012, Icelandic director Batasar Kormákur made Contraband, a little-hyped but actually quite solid crime thriller about a group of smugglers in New Orleans. It was simple and stupid, but it was also confidently directed and rather exciting when it wanted to be. Plus, it had a fine starring performance from the increasingly reliable Mark Wahlberg, and that proves just as true for his new film 2 Guns, which is an ever so mild improvement over its predecessor. Kormákur still directs action sequences with ease, he moves the plot along quickly without getting sidetracked, and all the performers seem like they’re having a lot of fun. It ain’t Days of Heaven, but with this film Kormákur solidified his place as a good director of simple, dudes-with-guns entertainment.

A tale of double-crosses piled on top of double-crosses, 2 Guns begins by introducing to two apparent criminals named Bobby Trench (Denzel Washington) and Marcus Stigman (Wahlberg). After a deal for drugs doesn’t pan out, the two of them decide to rob a bank to try and steal from the kingpin (Edward James Olmos) that screwed them over. Soon after the heist, the two of them realize that they didn’t know as much about each other as they initially thought, and that the money doesn’t belong to who they initially thought. From there, our two heroes must fend off Olmos, a CIA goon named Earl (Bill Paxton) and a crooked Navy SEAL (James Marsden). Bobby is also focused on protecting Deb (Paula Patton), a woman with which he has been having an affair.

The best thing about Kormákur’s work here is that he seems to completely grasp the movie he is making and pieces he is making it with. He uses Wahlberg and Washington just about perfectly, and the characters seem tailor-made for the actors who are playing them. It’s not exactly method acting—both roles might as well just be named after the performers just to save us all some trouble—but time has shown that when these two are in their comfort zone they can be a lot of fun to watch. 2 Guns is never more fun than when the eponymous "guns" are onscreen together, and their strained but cordial relationship is easily the best part of the movie. Wahlberg and Washington take a movie like this just as seriously as when they’re making Flight or The Departed, and that is crucial to 2 Guns’ success.

The film loses some of its steam by the end, as the plot’s many complications start to become a bit too much to handle. 2 Guns is a simple movie on many levels, but the plot isn’t quite as easy to follow as it should be. Kormákur directs it in such away that you usually don’t notice, but every once in a while it takes a few seconds to recall who is angry with who at any particular moment. There’s also the matter of the climax, which has some thrills but also feels too self-consciously “cool” to be legitimately awesome. (It also blatantly rips off early-’90s Tarantino on a couple occasions.) Once the dust subsides, the movie ends right where it should: with Washington and Wahlberg hanging out and showing off their surprising chemistry once more. 2 Guns is an action movie that understands it doesn’t take a lot of bells and whistles to make a good action movie. Just throw together two charismatic stars and a director who knows what he’s doing, and then you’re well on your way.

Grade: B+