2 Guns (2013)
Never rob a bank across from a diner with the best donuts in town.
From the title alone, we can assume it's going to be two guys with guns versus the world. Action, action, action! For best results, go in expecting an action flick and you should be content. Normally, I'd be more than happy to come up with a witty title-based remark that leaves you hanging, but with a title like 2 Guns, the best I can come up with is something like like "is it shooting blanks, or is fully loaded for an assault on your favorites list." Sorry.
Get ready for a story of so many double crosses your head will spin! DEA agent Bobby (Denzel Washington) and Naval Intelligence Officer Stig (Mark Wahlberg) are both undercover in an attempt to bust a Mexican crime lord, unbeknownst to both of them. When Stig suggests to hit a bank to get the crime lord's money after a deal doesn't go as planned, Bobby agrees on the basis that he can turn the money over to the DEA so they can trace it back to the crime lord. Stig, on the other hand, wants to get that money for the Navy, as his SO lays down the plan for him and Stig's a devoted little soldier.
Things quickly take a spin for the worst when Bobby and Stig turn against each other, and Stig finds out that Bobby is a DEA agent. Making matters worse, Stig's own people turn on him when they discover that he didn't kill Bobby, and the money that they stole (which was far more than either of them knew it would be) ends up belonging to a certain other group of mysterious individuals. The spiral goes even crazier as the two try to stay alive and figure out just what is going on and who is who, leading to some rather fun action scenes and a severe distrust for every character introduced in the movie.
By the end, the fog should be lifted and everyone should be able to understand just what happened. It does end with the capability for a sequel, although I personally think that this movie works best as just a one-shot style of thing to keep it's formula from getting old. At any rate, the plot is there and existent, but by the end the average person will see most of the twists coming before they actually arrive on screen.
Our two leads sharing a moment out in the desert.
Actions scenes are pretty kinetic and fun. Gunplay, explosions, amusing one liners - everything you'd expect from an even halfway decent action flick. The action keeps the pacing going well, and also helps punctuate the drive towards the end of the movie as it continually escalates in scale. Humor is laced throughout the film, and even during moments of action crops up to try and weasel a laugh out of you. Heck, sometimes it does a rather effective job at it as well. Action scenes aren't just limited to gunplay either, involving cars as well as a few moments of fist fights and on-foot chases.
Costumes leave a little to be desired, but perfectly fitting for a modern-set movie. The most intricate the costumes ever get is the bank-robber masks Bobby and Stigs wear for one scene, with the rest just everyday outfits or light military gear. The actors do a good job with what they have, relying more on their skill as actors then on fancy costumes to do the work for them. By the end of the film, the two main characters even have a bit of a more solid connection between them, as opposed to the rather loose yet fun interaction that they share for the majority of the flick.
Supporting characters are vast - having at least four separate "parties" involved in the main story with at least one "lead" for each - such as the crime boss or Stig's superior. For the most part, they all do a pleasant job of acting, although there are moments when how good they do can dip and your interest might wane a little bit. Audio plays, as is normal, a background role to the movie's action and dialogue with the exception of a moment when things seem at their worst and the music plays a sad sounding song to emphasize the mood instead of just enhance the action.
Something about the facial expression on that clown mask Wahlberg is wearing gets me every time.
Overall, the flick was a good watch. Action and comedy meshed well and didn't feel forced as in some movies, and the character dynamic worked better than I would have expected. Actors do well, and there's a rather limited amount of scenes that I felt the movie could do without. I can't say I'll be rewatching it non stop, but it's a flick where I'd probably watch it again if I came across it on the television as it surely wasn't a bad movie. As a special treat, I realized that I've been forgetting to include a trailer embedded in the reviews, and have decided to remedy it for this one.