Movie Review #23 - "2 Guns (2013)"
I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I like to be completely and totally surprised by a movie ... So, I saw a smidge of the trailer for "2 Guns" on TV when the film was released ... I like to see Mark Wahlberg act ... Check one! Denzel! Check Two! Weapons, fighting, etc. Check Three ... Then, I got busy with work and shoulder surgery ... I completely forgot about this year ... And based on the numbers, a lot of other people forgot too!
Benny's Tabasco Rating: 8 / 10 Tabasco Peppers
Synopsis: Two gangsters hook up to rob a bank ... Except both of them are undercover for different agencies and don't realize that they are only setting each other up ... That's the short version ...
This is a very well told story about two guys working undercover and neither of the two agencies in charge know that the other guy is undercover as well.
The story takes place in Texas near the Mexico border. The boys (Denzel and Mark) team up to rob a bank with three million dollars in it ... They are trying to steal from this drug lord .. (It's a little more complicated, but you get the picture ... hopefully) ... They end up robbing the bank, but instead of getting three million dollars, it's over $40 million ... So, who's money is it? I like this film so much that I am not going to spoil it for you ... Redbox or Amazon has it ...
Cast: Denzel Washington. Mark Wahlberg. I usually associate both with either hard-core action adventure films or deep-meaning type films ... Maybe not for Wahlberg ... However, this movie is truly funny ... The back and forth banter between Denzel and Mark is spot-on .. Great timing ... Great laughs ... I have watched this film several times because I was laughing too hard in some spots that I missed lines in the film ...
Bill Paxton is also in the film as a CIA jerk ... While I usually don't like him very much, he really pulled his weight. I might be starting to like him ... The only other thing that he was in that I like him was "True Lies" ...
There are a couple of other bit parts that include Edward James Olmos, James Marsden, and Fred Ward (Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, Timerider, Sweet Home Alabama, The Right Stuff, etc.)
Writing: Blake Masters does a fantastic job (in my opinion) of taking the graphic novel by Steven Grant to film. The writing is sharp, funny, and interesting ... There are some excellent plot twists and back-stabbing that don't appear until the conclusion of the film ... Excellent work there!
Direction: Baltasar Kormákur directs. I don't know much of his works because he's from Iceland ... Yes, Iceland ... So, it seems like he's a first-timer here ... I'm really glad that the studio allowed him to do this project ... Again, direction was spot-on!!!!
Cinematography: Oliver Wood is the DP. And you are saying, "Who is he?", right? ... Well ... You might recognize some of his other works ... The Bourne Series (excluding Legacy) is the majority of his work ... The shots are crisp, connected, and well-done.... I couldn't figure out why I liked the "look" of the film so much ... But now I know ... The Bourne Series including Legacy is one of my favorites ...
Overall Review: I love this film. It's funny, different, unusual, and unexpected. The actors plays these roles to near perfection. It's a must see in my book ... And I'm kind of mad that I didn't see it on the big screen ...
I rented it from Redbox for $1.29 ... It's worth a lot more than that ....
just saw this movie too. loved it! need to pay attention, good twists and turns. funny too
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