Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg’s Action-Packed Adaptation Lost What Made the Comic Great

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The popular action movie from 2013 did well in theaters and audiences generally liked it, even though critics had mixed feelings. The film featured a strong connection between Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, who played undercover police officers working the same case without knowing each other’s true roles. However, the original comic book, created by Steven Grant and Mateus Santolouco, offered a more complex and engaging story, with a clever use of humor and a deeper look at social issues.

Okay, so 2 Guns actually sticks pretty close to the comic it’s based on, which is good. But honestly, the movie just goes way over the top with everything. They cranked up the action and the jokes to eleven, trying to make this huge blockbuster. And in doing so, they totally missed what made the comic great: that really sad, but funny, feeling of a messed-up system that just destroys itself. It was smart and ironic in the comic, but the movie just feels…loud.

2 Guns Was A Nice Film, But It Could Have Been Better

While 2 Guns isn’t a standout comic book movie, or even one of the best, it’s still enjoyable. The film benefits greatly from the strong chemistry between its leads, Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, which is crucial for a successful buddy cop story.

Denzel Washington stars as Bobby Trench, an undercover DEA agent trying to take down Manny “Papi” Greco, the head of a powerful drug cartel. Trench is cool and confident, and doesn’t suffer fools. Mark Wahlberg plays Michael “Stig” Stigman, a naive but enthusiastic Navy officer also working undercover on orders from his commander. Neither agent knows the other is with the government, and they end up working together to rob a bank, believing each other to be criminals.

Oh man, things went totally sideways for Bobby and Stig! They were trying to rob a bank, but somehow ended up with over 40 million dollars… that belonged to the CIA! Now Bobby’s in trouble with his boss, and Stig is being framed by his own agency – it turns out the CIA is seriously corrupt and wants them both dead. And to top it all off, even Greco is furious with Bobby. It’s crazy, because they can’t trust anyone except each other, which leads to a ton of wild action and hilarious moments. It’s a total mess, but a really fun one!

The cast of 2 Guns adds a lot to the film. Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg are joined by Bill Paxton as a crooked CIA agent, Paula Patton as a DEA agent who becomes a love interest for Wahlberg’s character, and James Marsden as a Navy officer and the rival of Wahlberg’s character. Edward James Olmos also appears, and even Patrick Fischler has a small part as a vet who helps Bobby after he’s shot.

Although 2 Guns wasn’t a revolutionary movie, most viewers found it very entertaining. The film featured a great cast and delivered plenty of laughs and intrigue. It kept audiences guessing with its many twists, turns, and surprising betrayals. A success at the box office, it earned approximately $130 million worldwide, more than double its $60 million production cost.

While some found the movie enjoyable, critics noted it followed a predictable pattern and didn’t offer anything new to the action genre. It’s not always necessary for a film to be groundbreaking, but 2 Guns had the potential to be truly thought-provoking, given its source material. Unfortunately, the filmmakers chose a simpler route, prioritizing superficial plot points, exaggerated characters, quick jokes, and drawn-out action sequences.

Steven Grant’s 2 Guns Comic Is A Clever Satire

The 2007 comic book version of 2 Guns, created by Steven Grant and Mateus Santolouco, is primarily a satire. Similar to the movie, it centers on Bobby and Steadman (known as Stigman in the film) as they navigate dangerous undercover assignments filled with chaos and betrayal. However, the two leads are intentionally portrayed as over-the-top, stereotypical cops – making them both relatable and humorous for readers.

The comic keeps the story relatable by focusing on a smaller scale and simpler villains – characters who are there just to move the plot forward. This isn’t a weakness; the comic actually highlights how silly these kinds of stories can be, instead of trying to create deeply complex heroes or villains.

The story focuses on a smaller scale, with fewer large battles and characters traveling less. Action scenes are quick and direct, and the stakes feel higher because characters can die with little warning, often within just a few comic panels.

The comic book version of 2 Guns is also quite funny. The witty back-and-forth between Bobby and Stig, which is featured in the movie, appears in the comic as well, but it’s more understated. The humor mostly comes from the absurd situations the characters find themselves in, rather than from jokes or one-liners.

The strong connection between the characters that made the film so enjoyable isn’t present in the comic book, and that’s intentional. The comic focuses more on conflict and suspicion, which creates a more compelling storyline. While the movie’s plot is fairly predictable, the comic keeps readers guessing and delivers unexpected twists.

Ultimately, this comic focuses on strong storytelling rather than flashy effects or catering to fan expectations. The artwork is similarly simple and classic, using muted colors and traditional comic book styles reminiscent of old detective comics. The story is compelling enough that the comic doesn’t need to rely on gimmicks to keep readers engaged.

The 2 Guns Movie Wasn’t As Good As The Comic

Although the movie 2 Guns isn’t terrible, it doesn’t capture the clever humor and sharp wit of the original story it’s based on. It feels like the filmmakers forced the comedy, constantly trying to get laughs at the expense of building suspense or creating real stakes. This also makes the characters feel flat and predictable, and the plot becomes overly simple, ultimately losing the ironic core of the story.

The comic isn’t about Bobby and Stig being unlikely best friends. It’s more about the natural, ongoing feel of their interactions. Like Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in the movie, who largely made up their funny back-and-forth dialogue, their conversations feel endless and just exist for the fun of it.

I’ve always thought the source material for 2 Guns was interesting, but it’s smart about not overstaying its welcome. What really struck me was the humor – it wasn’t that these characters were trying to be funny, they were just so over-the-top and ridiculous, and we were laughing at them, not with them. That’s a huge difference from the movie, which really wants you to root for and connect with the characters. The film takes a totally different approach than the comics in that way.

The movie version of the story makes most of the characters much more comical than they are in the original comic book. For example, the comic portrays the CIA as simply dangerous, but the film adds a humorous Texan mobster named Earl. The movie also includes a veterinarian character and several scenes dedicated to his comedic interactions with Patrick Fischler, despite him not being present in the comic. Additionally, the character of Greco is portrayed as more pathetic and less intimidating in the film.

The movie’s over-the-top characters, constant jokes, and big action scenes overshadow the clever parody that the original comic does so well. But two major changes really weaken the film’s satire: the way they altered Deb’s character and the different ending they created.

Okay, so Deb is Bobby’s partner in both the comic and the movie, and she’s also his boss and love interest. But honestly, the movie really changed her. In the comics, she’s super cold and uses Bobby without a second thought. But in the movie, they made her way more sympathetic, like she was genuinely in love with him. It was a big shift because in the film, she actually sacrifices herself to save Bobby, and then Greco ends up killing her. It felt way more emotional in the movie version because of that change.

Throughout the comic’s story, Deb manipulates Bobby, and he doesn’t discover her deception until the very end. While she has a strong partnership with Harold Quince, she ultimately suffers a harsh fate when Quince chooses to kill her instead of sharing the money. In a shocking and ironic twist, she’s killed by her own boyfriend, and the violence continues as Quince also murders her father, who was another corrupt Navy official. This creates a darkly comedic and brutal moment.

Honestly, the way the comic ends just really got to me. It’s so bleak – all that happened, all those people who died, and for what? Nothing actually changed! The CIA just got their money back, and Bobby and Steadman… well, they sacrificed everything, but it didn’t matter. It’s just a really depressing thought that their whole journey was ultimately pointless.

Despite the serious events in the film, it concludes with a feel-good ending that undermines the story’s impact. Bobby spends most of the money, preventing the CIA from recovering it, but he and Stig manage to hide enough to secure some funds for themselves. They even decide to keep pursuing the CIA. This positive spin removes the original story’s cleverness and turns the movie into a typical, predictable action film.

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2025-11-19 21:11