2 GUNS By Brenton Thom 2 GUNS is an action comedy starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. The story of this action flick is similar to many other action movies - some guys get involved in something over their heads, there are explosions, people are killed, and there are more explosions. I’m just kidding. 2 GUNS is the story of Washington and Wahlberg robbing a bank after a drug deal gone wrong. Unbeknownst to Wahlberg, Washington is a DEA agent, undercover for 3 years, who plans to rob the bank of a big shot drug dealer to get him for money laundering. The twist is that Wahlberg works for Navy intelligence and was hired to take out Washington and use the money to fund covert operations. The story involves confusion and betrayal on many different levels. But don’t let this convoluted plot confuse you, this movie is anything but grand. Granted it's entertaining, but I found myself bored 3/4th the way through it. The movie reminded me of THE BIG LEBOWSKI and THE DEPARTED. There was a constant sense of “this person works for this person, and this person works for this person” type stuff going on. Constant double crosses and betrayal. The movie also has consistent trouble finding the proper tone. Part of it plays off like the trailers show it: a light action movie with comedy, similar to a Michael Bay flick, and it is that way to some extent; Wahlberg certainly brings the comedy, but it's also a dramatic movie with death/executions, back-stabbings, and brutal drug lords. In some ways it also reminded me of the drug movie SAVAGES. Washington carries this dramatic section of the movie. Now, I’m not knocking the performances, which are pretty good, as are the lighting, the music, and sound design. The cinematography did have me lost at some points, however. The way they have the camera positioned and certain angles had me confused, in terms of spacial awareness; I wasn’t sure which way things were moving or where I was at some points. Granted, this works for some movies where you are supposed to feel geographically lost like THE SHINING, but this isn’t that movie. This is a straight-up action movie. Other parts of the cinematography were good, like the lighting and movements, so this is really all nitpicky stuff. But if I’m picking at or paying attention to things like the lighting, we know there is something wrong. The story lost me. It all comes down to the characters. Now, I liked the characters and they were charismatic and fun at points, but it was just a bland story for me. It felt so clichéd, what with someone betraying another and someone else was working for some other higher power. In a way it was a watered down version of the more intense and constantly-escalating THE DEPARTED. On a side note, I think it’s interesting that the leading lady, Paula Patton (playing one of the agents that has Washington go undercover for the money and is his contact) has performed with Washington before - DÉJÀ VU. Coincidence? I think not. Maybe Denzel suggested they act together. Again, I’m getting off course. Back on the subject of the film. I think it’s clear that I didn’t enjoy this movie that much. Now, how would I rate it? Well, it was an okay action movie. People who are die-hard action flick fans could check it out. Those who like the performances of the leading men (or even fans of Bill Paxton, who has a fun supporting role) should check this film out. When it comes to story, however, it just felt bland and “done before.” If you like seeing that stuff on the screen, I say check it out in cinemas. Otherwise, wait until DVD or on TV. Sorry folks, but this film really didn’t do it that much for me. WE'RE THE MILLERS By Brenton Thom WE'RE THE MILLERS is a comedy starring Jennifer Aniston as Rose and Jason Sudeikis as David (oddly both actors were in the film HORRIBLE BOSSES). The story involves David, a local drug dealer, dealing dime bags. He gets robbed and owes money to a higher power (Ed Helms). David ends up being forced to smuggle drugs across the border, and to protect himself from being caught and going to prison, he hires his neighbor Rose, a stripper, his quirky neighbor Kenny (played by Will Poulter) to be his son and a homeless girl, Casey (played by Emma Roberts) to be his daughter. The basic story follows the shenanigans the “family” gets caught up in while trying to deliver the drugs on a deadline. Director Rawson Marshall Thurber brings the goods to this project. With very few films under his belt (the most well-known one being DODGEBALL), Thurber does a good job in terms of comedic timing and storytelling. Might I add it visually looks good in terms of the camera and lighting? It was well done. The story had good pacing and I cared for the characters... no matter how goofy they act. They feel like real people, caught up in an extraordinary situation. One of the comedic elements I noted in this film, as well in Thurber's previous work, is the excessive and over-exaggerated scenarios that blow out of proportion. For example, there's a scene when the family is about to cross the border back into the U.S.; the van in front of them is pulled over, and this Willie Nelson-looking character gets caught with a small, half-burnt “roach.” A little joint, if you don’t know the lingo. The border patrol shouts “JOINT!!” Immediately the man is jumped, beaten by guards with clubs, and attacked by dogs. So while the family has an RV full of drugs, they watch with worry as this man is almost beaten to death over a little joint. What’ll happen to them?! Those types of things are what make up the movie. There also those little moments where the characters break the fourth wall and nod to the audience, realizing the situations they are in are too extreme to be even real. There's also plenty of dirty humor that deals with sexuality and miscommunication. Everything builds up and has great comedic timing. With various actors from the SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE crew, the players do a good job bringing the comic gold. Be sure to stay for some of the credits. Immediately after the film, there are outtakes from the movie, and not those corny outtakes you might see in PG films, either. For being a behind-the-scenes guy, it’s neat to see alternate takes that are equally funny, and how actors act and change dialogue to make something funny. Of course, the elements being too funny, the actors can’t hold their composure so they crack and laugh. It’s a lot of fun. I haven’t laughed this hard in a while. I also haven’t squirmed and felt this awkward in a while. It was a good time. People might argue the humor is too crude or lewd, but it’s an R-rated film. What are you expecting? There are plenty of sex jokes and references and occurrences (even involving incest and swinging!). This film is a barrel of laughs and is well worth the movie ticket price and great to see with a crowd or even a group of friends.
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