BLU-RAY
REVIEW: 2 GUNS
11/17/2013

OVERVIEW: Denzel Washington (Safe House, Flight) and Mark Wahlberg (Contraband, Ted) star in 2 Guns, an adrenaline-fueled picture that tracks two operatives from competing bureaus who must team up for their mutual benefit and survival. 2 Guns will be available on Digital HD starting November 5, 2013, two weeks before it’s available on store shelves. Fans can own the movie on Blu-ray™ and DVD as well as rent it On Demand starting November 19, 2013, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
SYNOPSIS: Academy Award®
winner Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg lead an all-star cast
in 2 Guns, an explosive action film that tracks two operatives
from competing bureaus who are forced on the run together. But
there is a big problem with their unique alliance: Neither knows
that the other is an undercover federal agent.
For the past 12 months, DEA agent Bobby Trench (Washington) and
U.S. naval intelligence officer Marcus Stigman (Wahlberg) have
been reluctantly attached at the hip. Working undercover as
members of a narcotics syndicate, each man distrusts his partner
as much as the criminals they have both been tasked to take
down.
When their attempt to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel and
recover millions goes haywire, Trench and Stigman are suddenly
disavowed by their superiors. Now that everyone wants them in
jail or in the ground, the only person they can count on is the
other. Unfortunately for their pursuers, when good guys spend
years pretending to be bad, they pick up a few tricks along the
way.
FILM REVIEW: According to
Wikipedia.org, this latest Baltasar Kormákur (The Deep, 2012) effort is based on the 2008 BOOM! Studios comic series, by writer Steven Grant and illustrator Mateus
Santolouco. However, in my humble opinion, this super-comedic action plot bears more than a passing resemblance to Oliver Stone’s recent “Savages,” meets Duane “The Rock” Johnson’s “Snitch.”
Nevertheless, it could be said that Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg make two of the funniest and coolest partners, since Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, in Rush Hour (1998). Topping off the collective of supporting cast is the veteran actors Edward James Olmos (The Green Hornet, 2011), playing the undermined drug kingpin, and the no-nonsense Bill Paxton
(Hatfields & McCoys [2012 - miniseries]). We also have the likes of James Marsden (X2: X-Men United, 2003), playing the hardcore Naval Commander and supported by eye-candy, Paula Patton (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, 2011), playing the sexy love interest DEA operative. Together, they bring us a whole lot of action and excitement, with a constant flow of comedy between the main characters, played by Washington and
Wahlberg. Admirably, these characters and the storyline/angles never let us down, and by not doing so, maintain its great continuity, and not allowing for time to be bored; What’s more, is one could never guess where the dynamics between Washington and Wahlberg will take the viewer, throughout the entire 110 minute run-time. This enables the duo to instantly come true for audiences in both serious and playful moments. That being said, there are tons of laugh-out-loud moments to be had, loads of action to excite, and of course, a couple of loose-ends that never get fully resolved when it ends. This followed up with a few outdated punch-lines (that we’ve all heard once or twice before, in other movies). However, that’s par for the course in this genre though and is quite understandable, considering what it takes to pull off a successful action comedy, full of testosterone-driven celebrity ego.
Overall, I really like how 2 Guns has a steady flow of hilarity and uses the full play time to take audiences on an action-driven rollercoaster ride. Denzel and Mark are undoubtedly enjoying themselves here and certainly elevated their stock roles despite obviously pulling from characters in their respective pasts. Factoring all the above, the constantly twisting script has the majority of this latest flick feeling quite fresh as it unravels; This, despite the initial feel of being a knockoff of Dwayne Johnson’s recent effort, Snitch (2013).
Having said this, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and believe that it deserves nothing less than four and a half out of five stars for action, adventure and comedy.
Review
By Movi-Man Stan
BLU-RAY:
The film is
presented in widescreen in a 2.40:1 aspect ration preserving its
theatrical format. The picture is just flawless. Not only the
picture looks great in this release, also the sound it is good,
a 5.1 Dolby Digital in English that provides a good complement
to the picture. It also includes English
and Spanish subtitles.
VIDEO:
Widescreen (2.40:1) 16x9
AUDIO:
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/DVS Dolby Digital 2.0 (English), DTS Digital Surround 5.1 (Spanish), DTS Digital Surround
5.1 (Canadian)
Subtitles - English Spanish
French
SPECIAL
FEATURES:
Blu-ray™ disc unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring perfect hi-def picture and hi-def sound.
DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
Digital Copy
provides consumers with a choice of formats from a variety of partners, including options to watch on iPhone®,
iPad®, Android, computers and more.
UltraViolet™
is the revolutionary way for consumers to collect their movies and TV shows in the cloud. UltraViolet™ lets
consumers instantly stream and download to tablets, smartphones, computers and TVs. Now available in both the United States
and Canada.
2 THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE SEXY: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton, Bill Paxton, Edward James Olmos and James Marsden talk about what it was like to play their characters.
FINDING THE VIBE: This featurette reveals how the rich world of 2 Guns was brought to life.
LIVING DANGEROUSLY: Crash, smash and detonate alongside Hollywood’s best stuntmen and coordinators, as we watch the filming of 2 Guns’ action.
DELETED AND EXTENDED SCENES
UNDERCOVER AND INTO ACTION: Find out how the writing styles of graphic novelist Steven Grant and screenwriter Blake Masters merged to create one of the year’s most original scripts.
FEATURE COMMENTARY with Director Baltasar Kormákur and Producer Adam Siegel.