RBR: 2 Guns

You would never hear anyone note similarities in the acting styles of Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg and yet teaming them together has produced quite the charismatic pair in 2 Guns, an action thriller from earlier this year. Washington is a DEA agent and Wahlberg is a Marine who have teamed up to take down a Mexican drug lord (played by Edward James Olmos) without fully revealing to the other who they really are or their motivations. The banter between them provides the film with a nice spark that resembles some of the pairing of great 80s buddy cop movies like Lethal Weapon or 48 Hours. Because these two keep their plans from each other, it sets up a number of other characters in the film who also have their own agendas. While it makes the story a bit preposterous, it is also exciting because you cannot immediately tell how things will turn out. Paula Patton fills the sex appeal role playing a fellow agent working with Washington. I would have actually like to see a bit more development in her character, but she's at least easy on the eyes. Given the breezy chemistry that the two leads had it is disappointing that the film opted to have the action portrayed in such a violent manner. The film's title is quite the misnomer given that way more than two guns are used. The violence shown here suggests a grittier film than the way Washington and Wahlberg play things. A more consistent film would have produced something great. As it is, this merely settles for being a solidly entertaining film and makes me interested in seeing these two leads team up again either in a sequel or in an unrelated project. Rating: ****