I used to hate Mark Wahlberg for ruining Chow Yun Fat in The Corrupter. I paid real money in a theater to see it. One friend walked out. I was reluctant to see 2 Guns for that reason and because Denzel Washington kind of jumped the shark around John Q even though he still does a good film here and there. Washington is a magnificent actor and a beautiful man. He occasionally still makes a solid film here and there even if he is in a bit of an action movie rut. The pay is good, the work is honorable, and just because he is in an action movie rut doesn’t mean those movies aren’t enjoyable. I liked Book of Eli. I may see The Equalizer. But Washington isn’t must see viewing for me anymore–I don’t expect to be moved emotionally and changed spiritually by his films anymore. When he gets honored at the Kennedy Center, I fully expect to see clips from ALL the Spike Lee movies that he was in, Glory, Training Day, American Gangster, The Great Debaters, Antwone Fisher, grudgingly Remember the Titans because people love that coach trope, The Hurricane, Devil in a Blue Dress, Much Ado About Nothing (the definitive movie adaptation) and Mississippi Masala, but 2 Guns will not be on that list. If I paid attention to the cast, I would not have seen 2 Guns for 2 additional reasons: Paula Patton and Bill Paxton. Paula Patton is pretty, but a wooden actress. If you want to see her breasts, 2 Guns is a must see. A drugged out Robin Thicke may have freeze frames permanently on every screen while douche crying into another woman’s bosoms. Bill Paxton is an amazing actor, but I irrationally hate his face after his appearance in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He is kind of playing the same character over and over again, but with varying degrees of badass. 2 Guns is filled with so many tropes, and to be fair, it does so consciously and with a sense of humor. 2 Guns knows that it is raising the stakes to ridiculous levels. The CIA, the Navy SEALs, DEA, and Mexican drug lords have a stake in the plot. It is a heist movie meets a buddy cop movie. If Quentin Tarantino made it, I think that it could have found an alternative narrative rhythm that it occasionally attempts but fails to consistently do and been a success. 2 Guns largely succeeds with its cast, but even with the undeniable antagonistic, but it is all love cheesy buddy chemistry between Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington, and amazing performances from Edward James Olmos (your commander and mine) and James Marsden (finally not playing a cuckold and having some fun), it fails. Greats like Wes Craven and Quentin Tarantino can take well-worn tropes and elevate them into something transformative, fresh and riveting, but 2 Guns fails to be more than the sum of its parts. Also it is extremely violent and sexist, which I would happily sign a waiver for and enjoy if it was good, but it is not so I will not.