Denzel Washington was looking for something light after his role as an alcoholic airline pilot in "Flight" and found it in "2 Guns," an action buddy film that showcases the two-time Academy Award winner's flair for comedy.
The film, which opens in US theaters on Friday, is new territory for Washington, who was nominated for his sixth Oscar for "Flight" and took home golden statuettes for the 2001 crime drama "Training Day" and the 1989 Civil War film "Glory."
Based on a 2008 BOOM! Studios graphic novel by Steven Grant, "2 Guns" pairs Washington, 58, with Mark Wahlberg, 42, who is fresh from his success with the 2012 talking teddy bear comedy "Ted," which earned nearly $550m at the global box office.
"I was looking to do something to have more fun, so when I read the script and heard Mark was involved I was like, 'Oh I could be safe because Mark is not just funny, he has a warmth and heart about him," Washington said.
"We're buddies. It's a buddy movie, so it was a chance to do that and to have fun."
It's the first time the pair has worked together and they emit an easy rapport, like Paul Newman and Robert Redford in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the "Lethal Weapon" films.
Washington plays the smooth, gold-toothed, undercover narcotics cop Robert "Bobby" Trench, who with Wahlberg's by-the-code, sharpshooter US Navy intelligence officer Marcus Stigman, is trying to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel run by Papi Greco, played by Edward James Olmos.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
