Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg star in 2 Guns, based on the comic series of the same name, a fun little actioner where everyone seems intent on betraying every one else over forty-three million dollars.

Posing as buyers, Bobby (Washington) is actually a DEA agent, Stig (Wahlberg) is in the Office of Naval Intelligence, and neither know who the other one is. Both of them are intent on taking down Papi Greco (Edward James Olmos) and have found where he has some money stowed, Tres Cruces Bank.

They rob it only to find a lot more, and everybody wants it, Stig’s CO, Quince (James Marsden), Greco, Deb (Paula Patton), Bobby’s boss, Jessup (Robert John Burke) and the CIA, whose money it actually is, as part of a dirty slush fund. They are represented by the awesome Bill Paxton as Earl. Everyone else who hears about it wants it, and they are all willing to double cross one another.

Except for Bobby and Stig who seem to be the only truly moral characters in the film, and even there morals are a little shady.

Over the course of two hours a fun, twisting tale steeped in action beats blasts its way across the screen, and makes for a fun little action film. Delightfully fast-paced, 2 Guns gives both the leads lots of biting remarks and character beats and combat.

There’s some fun sequences, twists and turns, though some of them are easy to see coming, but that doesn’t make it any the less enjoyable. And you know what is really great, seeing Bill Paxton the screen. Anytime he shows up in films, it reminds me of how much I miss him as an actor. He’s so great in this, and really leans into being a baddie.

The film almost features Fred Ward’s final onscreen role.

Washington and Wahlberg have some nice banter and con-screen chemistry which allowed the two to ad-lib a lot of their fun moments. Consequently this one ended up being pretty fun. I like how the action sequences are shot, and orchestrated, and the final climax is a lot of fun, featuring some solid pyrotechnics and all the characters (that are still alive at that point) descend on Papi Greco’s compound.

This one ends up being entertaining, and the strong casting works to its benefit, as does the location work that sees the story set along the Mexican-US border. I quite liked this one, and looking back over the past few weeks I seem to be on a Denzel Washington kick, and I don’t see any reason to stop now.