FILM REVIEW 2 Guns

TWO MEN, ONE FINE MESS?Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg star in ‘2 Guns’.

Are there any real criminals left?


Cinema
Daniel Carey

IN the 1989 crime-comedy film ‘Three Fugitives’, Ned Perry (Martin Short) takes Daniel Lucas (Nick Nolte) to a veterinarian to treat a gunshot wound. The retired vet, Dr Horvath (Kenneth McMillan), assumes Lucas is a dog, and later describes what transpired on the operating table when he treated the recently released bank robber.
“The patient was shot in a hunting accident, in the right hind leg,” he begins, in conversation with two amused cops, “From the angle of entry, it would appear that his leg was raised, and he must have been peeing at the moment of impact. The patient wore no collar, and he became enraged when given a rubber bone. He nevertheless tested negative for rabies.”
I was reminded of that scene watching ‘2 Guns’, the new action-comedy from Baltasar KormΡkur, as Denzel Washington goes to an animal doctor after getting shot in the shoulder in the aftermath of a raid on a savings and loan. ‘2 Guns’ is no ‘Three Fugitives’, but the chemistry between Washington and his co-star Mark Wahlberg makes for an entertaining ride.
Adapted from a graphic novel, ‘2 Guns’ revolves around a decent premise, which sees the pair plan a bank robbery, come away with $43 million and then discover they’re both working as undercover agents – Bobby Trench (Washington) for the Drug Enforcement Administration, ‘Stig’ Stigman (Wahlberg) for naval intelligence.
When we meet the duo, they’re casing a financial institution across the road from a diner that serves ‘the best doughnuts in three counties’ – something of a problem given the number of cops that kind of reputation attracts. Stig eyes Bobby’s disdain for pancakes with suspicion – “What are you, a Communist?” he asks – and winks at the pretty waitress.
They take a spin south of the border, deal with a ‘Mexican Albert Einstein’, a drug lord from central casting, see a body in a bag, and struggle with the ethics of witnessing cruelty to chickens while simultaneously eating poultry. They have a close shave with law enforcement while returning over the US border. And then comes the bank job.
‘2 Guns’ is an uneven affair; the picture’s first half is definitely stronger than its second. Things get ever-more complicated as personal agendas, double-crosses and institutional cover-ups unfold. But there are some good lines in the above-average script (penned by Blake Masters).
“Nobody’s innocent, friend,” warns Earl (Bill Paxton), a nasty investigator for another government agency who’s fond of playing Russian roulette when interrogating suspects. “It’s just the guilty, the ignorant and the unlucky.” Deb (Paula Patton), Bobby’s on-off girlfriend, gets told: “I really MEANT to love you.” Later, Earl points a gun at Bobby’s groin, screaming: “Where’s our money?” The ever-cool Mr Washington replies: “Well, it ain’t down there, I can guarantee you that!”
The former partners re-establish an uneasy alliance. There’s a decent scene in an apartment as Stig talks to Bobby via a telephone in speaker mode, and then guides him out of the building as it’s raided. “For a car thief, you’re mighty particular,” Bobby comments as Stig rejects one auto option after another.
Other down sides? Well, much of what happens is plain ridiculous, and there is more than one jump-the-shark moment. The plot definitely has more twists than it needs. And some of the violence seems incongruous.
Fundamentally, though, this is the Denzel and Mark show, and the two main characters bounce well off each other. Washington isn’t keen on a sequel, but the ‘3 Guns’ comic has just hit newsstands. Watch this space, I’d say.

Rating 6 out of 10