2 Guns (2013), R, 3 stars

Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in a sticky situation.

Again, we have another buddy-cop picture and with a familiar situation relevant to some money. I am kind of getting tired of these pictures because there seems to be a familiar conclusion to all these movies in that particular genre. Also, we do not really care about the case, but, we do care about the chemistry the two main lead characters of a buddy-cop picture. It seems that I am repeating myself with the description of a buddy-cop movie because I have seen The Heat with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. (Check my review of that.) But, this time we have Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg anchoring this movie and again, this movie looks silly and familiar, but it is supposed to be silly.

Robert Trench (Denzel Washington) and Michael Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) are arrested by U.S. Customs after they witness being in an allied meeting with a drug lord called Papi Greco (Edward James Olmos). But they both do not identify their true selves. Trench is an undercover DEA agent, while Stigman is an undercover Naval Intelligence Officer. They both fail to acquire the cocaine from Greco to use evidence to convict him. But, Trench goes undercover to assist Stigman in robbing $3 million from Greco to use that evidence as money laundering.

While "robbing" the bank, they are both surprised to find more than $3 million in that vault. Trench and Stigman find $43 million. After the heist, Stigman wounds Trench suspecting that he is a cop. Stigman does escape after learning that it will be transferred to a Navy base somewhere in Texas. Things are about to go downhill from there as Earl (Bill Paxton) interrogates the bank manager about the stolen money. But, now, Trench and Stigman have to work together.

Paula Patton and Denzel Washington as Deb and Trench.

The movie displays a corny stupidity to my mind as I should predict the outcome of the investigation from the situation being told to Trench and Stigman by the villains. The movie really sets up the "set-up" of both Washington's and Wahlberg's characters quite well. But, the problem is that they are both on the opposite ends of the spectrum regarding to work in different departments. But, the wit and brains connect each other to an allied investigation.

Denzel Washington, of course, is cool as always, but not delivering anything new that we have already seen. I mean, we've seen the hostile cop character in Man on Fire and in his Oscar-winning performance in Training Day. Mark Wahlberg plays a disciplined agent, again, with charismatic appeal. Why should not we spend our time to watch them both interplay and banter hilariously with each other for two hours? Paula Patton is in kind of an unnecessary role as Washington's love interest. But, hey, they both have a few steamy scenes together. It's great to see Bill Paxton again having fun playing the sniveling operative. He does deliver the best performance in the movie. James Marsden and Edward James Olmos are fine in their roles, too.

Again, this is kind of an old-school predictable buddy-cop picture. There are not really political or socio-economic issues regarding to the money and drugs, but, hey, this is just a movie. And, the action sequence is pretty rapid in editing style, but, it's entertaining. This movie is substantially ridiculous, but thanks to the banter between two different styles of charming performances, it is a watchable movie. This movie was fun.

***