If the idea of having Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington in the same action movie doesn’t get one excited, I don’t know what will. In “2 Guns,” Marcus Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) and Bobby Trench (Denzel Washington) are two humorous characters who are also very good with guns, which is no surprise considering the name of the movie.
The beginning of the movie is hard to follow at first. It starts flashing forward a week showing Stigman, A.K.A Stig, and Bobby staking out a bank. The two are planning to rob the bank but are trying to learn about the surroundings first. Stigman heads into the restaurant across the street, which attracts a lot of cops due to the amazing donuts, while Bobby heads over to the bank and asks for a safety deposit box. This allows for Bobby to learn about the bank’s security and hours. He also gets a feel for who works there. After going in the bank, Bobby proceeds back to the restaurant where the two continue with their plan by setting the restaurant up in flames so that there will be no cops there the day of the robbery.
The movie then flashes back to a week earlier. Bobby, who is a DEA agent, is having trouble cracking a case on a Drug Kingpin who goes by the name Papi Greco (Edward James Olmos). Bobby brings Papi passports looking for cocaine in exchange, but Papi gives him money instead. This causes a problem for Bobby because he needs the product to bust him. Bobby turns down the money and says that Papi owes him cocaine. Stig, who is a Naval Officer, heads back across the border with Bobby. Stig suggests that they just rob the bank where Papi keeps his money to make up for the product he didn’t supply them with. Bobby agrees because he knows that if they can get the money, he can prove it is drug money.
Now the movie heads back to the present with the burnt down restaurant. Both main characters are planning to rob the bank the next day. Bobby and Stig start the robbery by heading over to the police station and locking all the police officers in the jail cell. Stig and Bobby then make their way back over to the bank where they begin the robbery. Both men are expecting to steal about three million dollars, but as Stig is taking the money, it ends up being well over three million dollars. As they leave, Bobby hands the key to the jail cell to the security guard at the bank, telling him to free the officers after they leave. The officers never get out, so Stig and Bobby get away. Bobby and Stig are now in a desert debating what to do with the money. Neither of them knows about the other’s true profession. Bobby is about to break the news that he is a DEA agent and that the money needs to go back with him, but Stig draws his gun first and shoots Bobby in the arm and takes off with the money.
With Bobby only wounded, he is obviously going to go back looking for Stig. He goes to Stig’s apartment where Stig sets a trap. Stig is hiding out on a near by roof while he talks to Bobby on his home phone. As Bobby and Stig are settling their differences and trying to figure out what’s really going on, guys from the Navy show up looking for Stig. Stig decides to help Bobby get out of his apartment and he creates some distractions while Bobby bolts for the door.
While all this is going on between Stig and Bobby, the CIA is investigating what happened to all the money. It turns out that the money Stig and Bobby stole belonged to the CIA and since it was so much, the CIA and Earl (Bill Paxton), the man leading the investigation, are doing anything to get back the 43 million dollars. Anyone standing between the CIA and Bobby will be threatened or even killed.
As the movie progresses, the viewers find out that the CIA and Papi have been working together to keep the money in the bank without anyone finding out. Suddenly Bobby decides its time to find Papi and find out what is going on and to whom the money belongs. As this is going on outside Stig shows up and literally steals Papi. With Papi in a closed bed of a pickup truck, Bobby gets in another truck and chases after Stig. After a long chase, Bobby and Stig decide to work together.
Bobby and Stig interrogate Papi, but nothing is working. Eventually Papi’s guys show up and rescue Papi while capturing Bobby and Stig. Papi makes a deal with the two men saying if you bring me the money in 24 hours I will free Deb (Paula Patton), who is Bobby’s true love. But if they fail to get the money, Papi will kill Deb.
The money is believed to be held at a Naval base because earlier in the movie Stig turned over the money to his commander, Chief Lucas (Greg Sproles). Bobby and Stig break into the Naval base just to find out the money is not there. Bobby gets a phone call from Papi saying he is about to kill her and then puts her on the phone. Bobby pleads to her to tell Papi he has the money, but she wants him to just hang up. Papi then kills her while she is on the phone and Bobby heads back to his apartment to find Deb dead on his couch. He is shocked and goes to sit on the fire escape, but while sitting there he takes a look at Deb and realizes she left a clue. She left a ring on her thumb which indicates to Bobby to go back to a hotel where they stayed.
Bobby heads back to the hotel and looks around for the money and then finds it in the bed. Bobby calls Papi asking if bounty on Stig and himself would be removed if they return the money. Papi agrees to the term of the deal.
Papi goes back to his farm in Mexico where he pulls in with Stig waiting beside his car, which he claims has all the money inside. Then, out of nowhere, Stig’s former commander shoots a rocket at Papi’s car. Stig introduces the two to each other and says they will have to duke it out for the cash. Papi negotiates with Chief Lucas saying they can kill Stig and split the money 50-50. Lucas disagrees and says his man on the roof wants a 60-40 split. Then the CIA shows up in a helicopter demanding all the money. Papi and Earl then ask Stig to open the trunk to prove the money is there. Just as this is happening, Bobby shows up in an Impala filled with all the money. Bobby hands over the keys to the car, and then he and Stig start walking away. Bobby then pulls out a unlock remote for the car and says make it rain. He presses the button on the remote which causes a bomb in the car to go off, launching all the money into the air. Stig and Bobby then start unloading on Papi’s crew, the Naval officers, and any CIA.
In the mix of all the fighting it turns out Bobby has his gun pointed at Chief Lucas, while his gun is pointed at Stig, who has his gun pointed at Earl, who has his gun pointed at Bobby. At this point it has turned into a stand off. Bobby gives Stig a hint and they fire at the same time killing both men. Bobby and Stig walk out of the barn unharmed and make their way over to Papi. Papi is still alive, but Bobby and Stig both finish him off and leave the ranch.
The movie then flashes forward and shows Bobby and Stig at a restaurant, getting ready to leave. Bobby decides to pay for their meals and starts leaving a huge tip, about 500 dollars. Stig then questions where he got all the money. Bobby states that he didn’t blow up all 43 million dollars. Stig finally asks how much of the stolen money he kept and Bobby is still not giving a straight answer to how much he has. Both men then exit the restaurant and then movie ends.
“2 Guns” was a good action movie that left me wanting more. At first the movie was confusing and hard to follow, but about twenty minutes into story, once I understood what was going on, my attention was captured. This movie had a lot of action and explosions that didn’t so much keep me on the edge of my seat, but they made me want to experience what the two characters going through. I felt that Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington both performed well in this movie. Mark Wahlberg did a very good job portraying the “you-only-live-once” character. Denzel Washington had a terrific performance as usual. Overall I felt the movie ended well leaving leeway for a sequel, but it is not necessary for one.
