2 Guns

The latest variation in the formulaic, mismatched buddy-cop genre revolves around a pair of bank robbers working as undercover government agents (although unbeknownst to each other). A cool professional, Robert “Bobby” Trench (Denzel Washington) is dispatched to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel led by ruthless Papi Greco (Edward James Olmos), while impulsive Naval Intelligence operative Michael “Stig” Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) is assigned to steal from narcotics suppliers so that the money can be filtered into a fund used for Navy SEAL black-ops missions across the border. But a bungled bank heist reveals their mutual deception, after which the agents are rejected by their respective organizations and tracked by a ruthless Southern enforcer (Bill Paxton) who is determined to retrieve a missing $43 million. Based on a comic book series, Icelandic actor-turned-filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur's 2 Guns places lots of emphasis on brutal action-filled shootouts, explosions, and car chases. What works is the bickering, bantering, macho camaraderie; what doesn't is the absurdly convoluted plot filled with so many nefarious complications and double-crosses that it eventually stops making any sense at all, until the climactic confrontation at Papi's ranch in Mexico. As the only notable female, Paula Patton costars as Bobby's duplicitous DEA cuddle/colleague whose primary role is to contribute some gratuitous nudity. And let's not even talk about the stupid, sadistic “sport” shooting of chickens. Optional, at best. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Baltasar Kormákur and producer Adam Siegel, deleted and extended scenes (12 min.), an “Undercover and Into Action” behind-the-scenes featurette (6 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the additional production featurettes “The Good, the Bad, and the Sexy,” “Finding the Vibe,” and “Living Dangerously” (24 min. total), and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)