Kormakur’s ‘2 Guns’ Redefines the Cinematic ‘Money Shot’

Baltasar Kormakur’s buddy cop flick 2 Guns gives new kick-ass connotation to the cinematic term “money shot.” Instead of dumping tons of dough and special effects into his slickest take, Kormakur literally makes it rain cash while his two leads stand back-to-back shooting baddies. Although it sounds gratuitous, this moment actually feels appropriate during the movie’s action-packed climax. Like the film’s intro, we’re opening midway through the story, so let’s rewind a bit.

Buddy cop pictures pair reluctant partners for the sake of an important case, and despite their conflicting methods, these specific individuals are always the perfect combo to save the day. 2 Guns mirrors those traits, however it simultaneously breaks the genre’s mold by placing its two main characters so deep undercover, that neither is aware the other guy is law enforcement too.

The teammates in this flick based on a graphic novel, are DEA Agent Bobby Beans (Denzel Washington) and Naval Intelligence Officer Michael Stingman (Mark Wahlberg). At the outset of 2 Guns, Beans and Stingman are business partners, trying to connect with a cautious drug lord named Papi (Edward James Olmos). After Papi crosses their associate, Beans and Stingman agree to rob his bank, under the smokescreen of payback. In reality though, each man secretly plots to seize the loot for his own investigation.

Everything goes smoothly with their heist, yet they hit a snag on their respective plans, after discovering that the money really belongs to unsavory characters more powerful than Papi. Beans and Stingman’s agencies turn on them and the uber bad guys come looking for their cash, forcing them to forge an alliance. In the process, they realize they’re on the same side of the law, and they commence an entertaining game with their adversaries. The pair tries to stay a step ahead of everyone else by playing all of the other parties off one another. Eventually, their efforts culminate in the delightfully epic scene mentioned earlier.

2 Guns oozes cool right from its opening shots of Beans and Stingman’s shiny muscle car and from its slinky ‘70s style bass lines that serve as a prelude to their escapades. Unfortunately, the the film does that annoying thing where it starts by showing things happening in the tale’s middle and then backtracks to give you the background. It’s hard to be too mad about that though, because this scene establishes the hilarious tone for Beans and Stingman’s consistently funny banter throughout the movie. Within that successful dynamic, Wahlberg’s Stingman is an obnoxious, cocky thief that’s always ribbing Washington’s straight-laced, no-frills character.

Wahlberg and Washington are brilliant on the same team, but they’re twice as humorous when they’re not. One such instance boils down to a wildly comedic demolition derby-style scuffle where Beans and Stingman use vehicles as their weapons. Considering Washington and Wahlberg don’t have prior history, their chemistry is impressive. As fun as they are to watch, they don’t dominate the entire film. The normally virtuous character actor Edward James Olmos is amusing as Mexican drug kingpin and Bill Paxton deftly chews scenery as a ruthless, masochistic cowboy.

Kormakur’s 2 Guns is much smarter than it appears on the surface. Much of film’s surprising wit comes from screenwriter Blake Masters, since the its humor is penned with a dark sarcasm reminiscent of a Shane Black flick, and its tangled web of shifting alliances drive the narrative briskly forward. If 2 Guns has any significant shortcoming however, it’s that it tries to be a bit too clever by adding unnecessary layers of deception. Something slightly simpler would have been better.

My Grade: B+…as in Bravo! Borderline Bodacious!