Movies can enter the Netflix top 10 for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes, they’re recently released titles that are new to the service or older titles that are nonetheless new to the platform. One such older title that has made its way into the top 10 is 2 Guns, which was originally released back in 2013.
Starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, the movie follows a DEA agent and a naval intelligence officer who are both working undercover inside a cartel. When they cross paths and are abandoned by their superiors, they have to take down the cartel they’re both embedded within and learn to trust each other. If you’re wondering why the movie is worth watching, and why it’s made its way into the top 10, here are three reasons it has remained a hit on Netflix.
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It’s got vintage buddy cop energy
There are not enough movies released these days that are just about two mismatched guys trying to stop some other guys from doing a bad thing. 2 Guns leans into that central premise and relies heavily on the banter and interplay between its central characters.
The fact that, at the start of the film, neither one of them knows the other is undercover adds a nice twist to the usual conventions here as they learn to trust and believe one another. By the movie’s end, you’ll delight not just in the fact that good has conquered evil but also in the fact that these two have managed to form a functioning relationship.
The action is better than you might think
Given the somewhat light tone of the interplay between the movie’s two leads, you might be shocked to discover just how brutal and violent 2 Guns can get. Director Baltasar Kormákur doesn’t pull any punches, but the resulting action sequences are surprisingly gripping and effective for what should be a more boilerplate story.
The movie is elevated in large part by these sequences, which get pretty graphic, but also hold the attention of the audience. Don’t put 2 Guns on around your kids, but if there are only adults in the room, you’re going to have a good time.
It’s a great vehicle for both of its stars
Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg might seem like a bit of an odd couple, but the two are incredibly well-matched in part because they have such radically different energies. Both of these men have played their share of gun-toting killers over the course of their careers, and putting them together gives both of them a chance to flex and bounce off one another.
These men are largely playing archetypes that you’d expect them to play if you’re familiar with their careers, but part of the movie’s appeal is in seeing movie stars do what we know they do, and doing it incredibly well.
2 Guns is now streaming on Netflix.
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