2 Guns is a surprisingly old fashioned caper.

Despite its very modern sensibilities and a tightly woven plot which piles double-cross upon double-cross in an accelerating game of bait and switch, there’s something refreshingly old-school about “2 Guns”. There’s an easy chemistry between lead actors Denzel Washington and Mark Walberg which powers this lean action comedy and keeps it motoring along through its twists and turns.

When a drug deal falls through, criminal partners Tench (Denzel Washington) and Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) decide to rob the bank where the drug dealer keeps his money. Unbeknownst to each other, they are both working deep undercover, one for the DEA and one for Navy Intelligence. When the robbery nets them far more money than they were expecting, they get caught up in a furious chase as various faction vie to get their hands on the cash.

There’s almost an element of the classic sixties caper films about “2 Guns”, albeit with a flashy up-to-date veneer of action and violence. Although formulaic, it’s a clever movie and while every twist and double cross might not come as a surprise, it’s neatly put together and satisfying.

Washington and Wahlberg are well matched as the not quite trusting partners throughout the hijinks and they’re supported by a subtly starry cast including Edward James Olmos, James Mars den, Fred Ward, Paula Patton and another great supporting turn from Bill Paxton.

Director Baltasar Kormákur keeps the whole show on the road, maintaining a light-hearted tone even as the body count rises and the violence increases. Not quite an out and out comedy, the film still keeps its tongue firmly in cheek and the dialogue crackles and zings thanks to the largely improvised interactions between Tench and Stig.

If you’re looking for an unpretentious, muscular crime thriller which maintains a sense of humour and half a brain without skimping on the action, then “2 Guns” is a fair investment of your time.

2 guns review
Score 7/10


Hi there! If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up to get new posts sent straight to your inbox?

Sign up to receive a weekly digest of The Craggus' latest posts.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

logo

Related posts

Jason Bourne (2016) Review

Jason Bourne (2016) Review

Jason Bourne struggles with its bored identity “Jason Bourne” sees the reluctant super-spy facing his deadliest foe yet: the irrefutable sense of unnecessariness. When Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) reaches out to an isolated and off-grid David Webb Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), it...

This Is The End (2013) Review

This Is The End (2013) Review

The stoner movie to end all stoner movies – literally Seth Rogen's latest is a drug, alcohol, sex and Milky Way-fuelled comedy blowout with an apocalyptic bite as he sends up himself, his friends and the celebrity LA lifestyle. This Is The End could be the perfect watch for those...

Megalodon (2018) Review

Megalodon (2018) Review

S This is one fish tale that's hard to swallow Star names are no rarity when it comes to bad shark movies, but there are two distinct styles the genre adopts. Some, like say Kirsty Swanson in “Swamp Shark” are in the movie for the long haul whereas others, like Michael Madsen in...

RoboCop (2014) Review

RoboCop (2014) Review

Dead or alive, it's hard to care about this mediocre missed opportunity of a reboot. It’s curiously apt that the EM-208 robot soldiers (don't worry, there are also more ED-209's than you would be unwise to shake a stick at) which appear at the start of this new “RoboCop” look almost...

Ulysses 31

Ulysses 31

The way back to Ulysses 31 can never be wiped from my memory bank Looking back at 35 years of travelling through unknown stars. It’s entirely possible that you’ve never heard of “Ulysses 31”, the French-Japanese anime series celebrating the 35th Anniversary of its UK TV premiere...

Dr. No (1962) Review

Dr. No (1962) Review

Craggus' Bond Voyage begins! After seeing it for the first time, James Bond creator Ian Fleming reportedly declared “Dr. No”, 'Dreadful. Simply dreadful.' He was being more than a little unfair. The very first theatrical James Bond adaptation is a decent spy thriller, imbued with a...

Ghosthunters On Icy Trails (2015) Review

Ghosthunters On Icy Trails (2015) Review

Who ya gonna call? Probably not Ghosthunters On Icy Trails. Suggested by some to be Germany’s answer to J K Rowling, prolific children’s author Cornelia Funke has not, to date, enjoyed her illustrious counterpart’s success with movie adaptations. 2008’s “Inkheart” was a disappointment...

Doctor Who: Survivors Of The Flux Review

Doctor Who: Survivors Of The Flux Review

Steven Moffat may have promised us a sci-fi fairy-tale but it's Chris Chibnall who gives the Doctor a wicked stepmother Like an unwelcome Gandalf The White, many of Chibnall’s follies return to us now, at the turning of the tide in SURVIVORS OF THE FLUX, an episode title which...