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UNIVERSAL

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Balthazar Kormákur
Cast:
Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton
Writing Credits:
Blake Masters

Synopsis:
Two hardened criminals get into trouble with the US border patrol after meeting with a Mexican drug lord, and then revelations start to unfold.

Box Office:
Budget
$61 million.
Opening Weekend
$27,059,130 on 3025 screens.
Domestic Gross
$75,612,460.

MPAA:
Rated R.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio:
English DTS X
Subtitles:
English
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
English

Runtime: 109 min.
Price: $29.98
Release Date: 8/1/2023

Bonus:
• Audio Commentary with Director Baltazar Kormákur and Producer Adam Siegel
• 8 Deleted/Extended Scenes
• “Click Click, Bang Bang” Featurettes
• “Graphic Novel” Featurette
• “Lines of Fire” Featurette
• “A Viking In Hollywood” Featurette
• “Going Undercover” Featurette
• “Storyboard to Screen” Featurette
• Previews
• Blu-ray Copy


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

EQUIPMENT
-LG OLED65C6P 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV
-Marantz SR7010 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD AV Surround Receiver
-Sony UBP-X700 4K Ultra HD Dolby Vision Blu-ray Player
-Chane A2.4 Speakers
-SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofer


RELATED REVIEWS


2 Guns [4K UHD] (2013)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (February 13, 2024)

With 2013’s 2 Guns, superstars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg paired on screen for the first time. As of early 2024, this remains as their only cinematic partnership, but who knows what the future might bring?

Robert Trench (Washington) and Michael Stigman (Wahlberg) get together to commit a series of crimes. Neither understands the truth behind their collaboration, though.

Both work undercover, Trench for the DEA and Stigman for the Navy SEALS. This leads them on a series of complications as they battle with each other and a series of foes.

With Washington and Wahlberg as the leads and other notables such as Paula Patton, Edward James Olmos, Bill Paxton, Fred Ward and James Marsden in tow, Guns looked like a sure-fire hit. However, it only did… okay.

The film took in $131 million worldwide off a budget of $61 million, so it probably roughly broke even eventually. Nonetheless, that seemed like a less than stellar take for a flick with so much star power.

Perhaps this occurred because Guns offers a pretty perfunctory mix of action, comedy and thriller. Though it kicks to life at times, too much of it feels “paint by numbers”.

This comes as a disappointment due to a number of factors, one of which stems from the premise. The notion of the two undercover operatives who work together without knowledge of each other’s jobs sounds provocative.

Also, Guns comes with that aforementioned pedigree. With all those fine actors along for the ride, Guns needs to come with a better script.

Too much of Guns feels cobbled together like an amalgam of other action movies. It essentially offers a minor twist on the buddy cop concept, but beyond its “two undercover dudes unaware of their status” idea, it fails to find anything clever or original.

This means we wind up with a pretty perfunctory tale, one that doesn’t come with inventiveness or spark. It mixes the usual violence, intrigue and dark humor to deliver a less than thrilling melange.

Washington and Wahlberg do give us a pretty solid lead pair. They mesh well and demonstrate enough chemistry that I hope they partner again someday.

And if that occurs, I hope they find a project with more substance and freshness than Guns. The movie remains a painless affair that maintains our attention across its 109 minutes, but it never rises above genre clichés.


The Disc Grades: Picture B+/ Audio B+/ Bonus B

2 Guns appears in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. Across the board, this was an appealing transfer.

Sharpness looked strong most of the time. Some interior elements seemed a little tentative, but the image usually gave us a tight, well-defined image.

Jagged edges and moiré effects remained absent, while edge haloes also failed to appear. Grain seemed light but appropriate, and print flaws stayed absent.

To the shock of no one, Guns offered a typical mix of orange and teal. These tones seemed predictable, but they worked fine within the movie’s design parameters and showed good delineation. HDR added a bit of impact to the tones.

Blacks were dark and tight, while shadows showed nice clarity and smoothness. HDR gave whites and contrast a moderate boost. I thought this was a consistently strong image.

Downconverted to DTS-HD MA 7.1, I also felt pleased with the film’s DTS X soundtrack. With a fair amount of action on display, the mix used the channels in an involving manner throughout much of the film.

This meant gunfire and other mayhem all around the room, and the elements connected in a concise, smooth manner. Add to that music as a bold participant and the soundscape turned into an aggressive partner.

Audio quality always satisfied. Music was dynamic and full, and effects followed suit, so those components came across as accurate and well-developed.

Speech seemed distinctive and crisp, without edginess or other issues. Everything impressed in this strong soundtrack.

How did the 4K compare to the Blu-ray version? The DTS X track expanded on the original 5.1 in a moderate manner.

From a 2K source, the 4K’s image also provided a few improvements, mainly due to the HDR, as delineation seemed pretty similar for both. The 4K felt a little richer and more stable so I preferred it, but it didn’t offer a major upgrade compared to the Blu-ray.

The 4K duplicates the Blu-ray’s extras and includes some new ones. We open with an audio commentary from director Baltazar Kormákur and producer Adam Siegel, both of whom sit together for this running, screen-specific discussion of the source and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, stunts and action, costumes, and related domains.

Overall, Kormákur and Siegel provide a pretty good chat. They interact well and cover enough appropriate topics to ensure we get a largely engaging view of the project.

Eight Deleted and Extended Scenes fill a total of 11 minutes, 50 seconds. We get added exposition as well as a bit more action and some comedy. None of it adds up to anything especially significant, however.

Under Click Click, Bang Bang, we get four featurettes that occupy 30 minutes, 18 seconds all together. Across these, we hear from Siegel, Kormákur, author Steven Grant, producers Randall Emmett, Marc Platt and Ross Richie, screenwriter Blake Masters, production designer Beth Mickle, costume designer Laura Jean Shannon, bull wrangler Marshall DeSouge, head trainer Trevor George, animal trainer Jason M. Owen, armorer Michael Panevics, stunt coordinator Darrin Prescott, SPFX coordinator James Lorimer, New Orleans FD District Chief Chris Mickal, and actors Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Edward James Olmos, Paula Patton, Bill Paxton, and James Marsden.

“Click” covers the source graphic novel and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and performances, Kormákur’s approach, sets and locations, costumes, working with animals, stunts and action, and various effects.

Expect a mix of fluff and insights. We get enough of the latter to keep us with “Click” but too much happy talk comes along for the ride.

From here we go to 4K UHD disc exclusives, and we get a look at the source Graphic Novel. It runs eight minutes, six seconds and brings notes from Grant, Richie, Masters, Kormákur, Washington, and Wahlberg.

As expected, we learn about the original work and its path to the screen. It becomes a satisfactory summary despite a little material that already appeared in “Click”.

More featurettes follow, and Lines of Fire goes for six minutes, 42 seconds. Here we locate info from Paxton, Olmos, Kormákur, Siegel, Wahlberg, Emmett, Masters, Platt, and Patton.

“Fire” looks at improvisation and acting. A few fun moments result but we find a lot of fluff along the way.

A Viking In Hollywood lasts six minutes. It provides comments from Kormákur, Siegel, Wahlberg, Washington, Platt, Emmett, Paxton, Masters, and Mickle.

Kormákur becomes the focal point here, as we get notes about the director. This turns into more puffy stuff most of the time.

Next comes Going Undercover, a five minute, 27 second reel. This one delivers remarks from Washington, Kormákur, Siegel, Patton, Emmett, Platt, and DEA technical advisor Richard Woodfork.

“Undercover” discusses research and realism in terms of law enforcement. It becomes another mix of useful material and praise.

Storyboard to Screen occupies four minutes, 47 seconds. We hear from Kormákur, Wahlberg, Washington, and storyboard artist James Doh.

Unsurprisingly, this reel covers the storyboards. We find a decent but unexceptional program.

The package includes a Blu-ray copy. As mentioned, it provides the commentary, the deleted/extended scenes and the “Click Click” featurette but lacks the rest.

The Blu-ray opens with ads for RIPD, The World’s End, Despicable Me 2, Jobs, Dead In Tombstone, Kick-Ass 2, Fast & Furious 6 and Machete Kills.

Previews adds clips for Jurassic Park Trilogy, Scarface (1983), Jaws, Fast Five, The Bourne Legacy, Contraband and Safe House. No trailer for Guns appears here.

Despite a strong cast, 2 Guns never turns into anything memorable. Although its stars make it watchable, the end product lacks the kick it needs to become better than average. The 4K UHD comes with very good picture and audio as well as a few bonus features. Gun doesn’t flop but it also fails to ignite.

To rate this film, visit the Blu-ray review of 2 GUNS

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