Film: 2 Guns

Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Genre: Action
Source: USA (2013)
Rating: R
Location/Format: Glynn Place Stadium Cinema
Grade: C

Honestly my main problem with 2 Guns, which is a perfectly serviceable buddy action movie, is not the silliness of the plot or the climax, and it is certainly not the fun that Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, and especially Bill Paxton seem to be having with pretty standard action movie flare. It's not the generic set pieces, or the hazy role the military seems to be playing in the film's plot (mostly, apparently, just to have some military guys involved). It's not even the awkward editing (why did we need to start with one scene, then flash to one week before, and then have no more flashbacks after that? What purpose is your structure serving, Baltasar Kormakur? None, that I can tell).

All of those things are forgivable, and some of them even turn out to be downright enjoyable. Bill Paxton, I'm looking at you. Please find some more jobs, because you are so over the top that you can't help but be entertaining.

No, my main problem is that for a film that is deliberately designed to be twist heavy, the film's preview gave away half of the best twists. 

Hollywood, we have a problem. Please let your movies have some mystery. If Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington aren't getting your target audience in the door, how will revealing several of the film's double crosses and surprise revelations help? This is a trend I've been noticing to be increasing lately, as more and more trailers seem to be attempting to cram the entire film's plotline into three minutes of clips. Stop it. You're taking the fun out of the movies.

2 Guns is an enjoyable enough little action movie, perfectly suited for a Saturday afternoon or a dollar theater visit. It's not memorable, and I'd like to see Denzel Washington play a few roles besides the world weary and on edge cop/spy/action hero that he's been playing for a while now (Flight being a notable exception in his recent oeuvre) but it is not terrible at being mindless escapism. The two leads have a good rapport, and explosions occur in large amounts, so if that's what you're looking for, you could do worse. You could just do a lot better too. Preferably on a movie that hasn't already told you the plot before you sit down.

Alternate Film Title: "Lots of Guns, Really"