Action superstar Mark Wahlberg (“2 Guns”) leads the cast of the critically acclaimed war thriller “Lone Survivor” as Marcus Luttrell, a real-life Navy SEAL whose book has become a motivational resource for its lessons on how the power of the human spirit is tested when we are pushed beyond our mental and physical limits.

Based on The New York Times bestselling true story of heroism, courage and resilience, “Lone Survivor” tells the incredible tale of four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative who are ambushed by the enemy in the mountains of Afghanistan. Faced with an impossible moral decision, the small band is isolated from help and surrounded by a much larger force of Taliban ready for war. As they confront unthinkable odds together, the four men find reserves of strength and bravery as they stay in the fight to the finish.

Early during the development of the action-thriller, director Peter Berg mentioned to Mark Wahlberg that “Lone Survivor” was a film he wanted to tackle, but at the time, they each had other projects in various stages of production.

Once Berg had the script at a place where he felt comfortable, he sent it to Wahlberg, who had purposely chosen not to read Luttrell’s book in advance. “The problem when adapting a piece of material like that,” says the actor, “is that you always feel like something is missing. I wanted to come at it from this perspective.”

As both a producer and an actor, Wahlberg’s reaction to the script was enthusiastic, and he agreed to portray Luttrell, the team’s medic and one of its snipers. “I was moved by the screenplay, so I felt like we were on the right track. I loved the balance of the drama, action, humor and emotion,” he says. “In the first act, you’re meeting these guys, seeing how much they love each other and what they’re doing out there. Then when Red Wings is a go, you see the shift from playful to all business.”

Wahlberg admits that the selflessness of both the SEALs and the Afghan villagers shook him deeply: “What makes this story so special is the bond and the camaraderie between the guys, but also the state of where we are in the world today. The act of heroism by Gulab and his fellow villagers moved me the most. I found it so inspiring, and it gave me so much hope for the world.”

Although Wahlberg has played characters based on real people before, in such films as “The Fighter” and “Invincible,” he admits that it’s never easy to do this kind of story justice: “I always feel some weight when portraying somebody in real life, whether they’re alive or not. I want to make sure that I make them and their family members proud.” Knowing that Luttrell would be available to offer guidance proved to be a welcome bonus. Says Wahlberg: “I loved speaking with Marcus about his relationship with those guys, because it always made him feel good to talk about how much he loved them, how much they loved him and how tight they were.”

When Wahlberg considers his time spent with the cast and crew, he reflects that working on “Lone Survivor” ranks at the top of his professional achievements as an actor and producer. He says: “This is the best working experience I’ve ever had, under the toughest conditions. I remember early on as an actor, you worked a long, hard day, but you did something you felt was special, and that car ride home you couldn’t stop thinking about it. I had that feeling every day on this movie.”

When discussing what it was like to watch someone else play him, Luttrell admits that it was initially odd. He says: “Wahlberg is a consummate professional, and he’s a great actor. It was a little strange watching somebody trying to play me, but we talked about it and I knew it would turn out great. I was more worried about the other guys because they’re not around to speak for themselves.”

Opening across the Philippines on Jan. 8, 2014, “Lone Survivor” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.

Mark Wahlberg outguns his rivals in TriStar Pictures’ “2 Guns,” in which he stars as Navy Petty Officer Michael “Stig” Stigman, a fast-talking sharpshooter who is as awkwardly charming as he is cunning.

In the film, Stig has served the Navy honourably for more than a decade. But when he does six months in the brig after attacking a military police officer, Stig is drafted into one of the Navy’s shadier ops and officially considered AWOL. He can maneuver in the dark, and he’s now dispensable if he decides to go off the Navy’s playbook.

The actor describes what drew him to the role: “The story goes back to those great buddy action comedies that I’ve always been a huge fan of. Stig’s that guy who just goes on impulse. Going into the bank heist, he and fellow undercover agent, Bobby (Denzel Washington), both been playing each other; neither has been completely honest about who they are or their motivations. Even though he’s playing Bobby, and Bobby’s playing him, Stig’s still honest about how he feels. He’s up for a good time, but if he gets rubbed the wrong way, he can go dark pretty quick.”

Although their mission has them planning to steal approximately $3 million of drug kingpin Papi Greco’s cash when we are introduced to the reluctant partners, Stig and Bobby get much more than they bargained for. When they open (read: blow up) the safety deposit boxes at Tres Cruces Savings & Loan, they discover more than $43 million—money that will most definitely be missed when they go on the run.

Wahlberg brings us up to speed with the moment when it all goes to hell with the agent and the operative: “After the heist is over, unfortunately it’s either Bobby or Stig, and Stig gets the upper hand. Stig doesn’t want to kill Bobby because he’s very fond of him, but he has a job to do. In the scuffle, Bobby’s DEA badge drops and Stig is upset—even though he’s been double-crossing Bobby—that Bobby had the nerve to double-cross him.”

Wahlberg was glad that the stars finally aligned for him and Denzel Washington to work together. Discussing Washington, he states: “We have great chemistry. We’ve known each other for a while, and this was the perfect piece of material for both of us to show a different side of ourselves. People would be very surprised to see how playful Denzel can be. I remember shooting our first scene, and every take I would do something completely different. He said, ‘Oh, I see what’s happening here,’ and he jumped right on board.” Wahlberg admits that he had a bit of an ulterior motive, and that was to get Washington to laugh. “There’s nothing better than seeing Denzel smile. Usually you get to see that once or twice in a movie; in this film, we see it a lot.”

From “Three Kings” to “Shooter,” Wahlberg has spent a good deal of time undergoing military-style training for his film career. “2 Guns” represents his latest effort, and he was up for the challenge. Wahlberg states that it was Stig’s commitment to his code that was most reflective of the military the performer has grown to know: “I had this mantra throughout the movie that I wrote on the front of my script, which was ‘duty, honor, loyalty and trust.’ Those things are very important to Stig; there isn’t anything that he wouldn’t do for his brothers, for his people.”

With this project and the upcoming epic “Lone Survivor,” Wahlberg shot two military-inspired films back to back. About his experience, he offers: “I went into Navy SEAL training immediately after shooting `2 Guns,’ and I’d been doing a lot of research into and reading about that world before this film. I’ve been lucky enough to have played military guys before, and I’ve had quite a bit of military training for other roles.”

Opening across the Philippines on Sept. 25, “2 Guns” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visitwww.columbiapictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.

For the fimmakers of TriStar Pictures' new action thriller “2 Guns,” there's only one actor working today who could wholly embody the complex, lead character Bobby Trench, whose motto is “When this is over, I’m going to kill you.” And he's none other than two-time Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington.

After portraying a series of intense characters in recent years, Washington was searching for some humor in his next role. He found that in agent Bobby Trench. “I was looking to depart from heavier roles, and when I read this script it really made me laugh,” the performer reports. “Bobby does whatever is necessary to get the job done. He says there is no code; you do whatever you got to do, whatever it takes. I think he is an honest cop, but he doesn’t live by the honor codes.”

In “2 Guns,” two operatives – Bobby Trench (Washington) and Michael “Stig” Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) -- from competing bureaus are forced on the run together. But there is a big problem with their unexpected partnership: Neither knows that the other is an undercover federal agent.

DEA agent Robert Trench is called many names. And depending upon the role you play in his world, you may know him as Agent Trench, Bobby B. or Bobby Beans. He’s spent three years infiltrating drug cartel leader Papi Greco’s Mexico-based empire, and in the past 12 months, he’s brought in Stig to work the job. Bobby’s latest deal has him trading 500 American passports for cocaine, and Greco has come up with cash, not coke. As Bobby and Stig head back into the U.S.—happy to still have their heads attached to their bodies—they are hauled into custody. Both of their superiors are less than pleased they’ve come back empty-handed.

Working on both sides of the law for so many years has allowed Bobby to effortlessly maneuver between the worlds. Washington explains: “‘I-know-a-guy Bobby,’ my undercover character, can get anything for you that you need: a ’63 Chevy, a ’59 bottle of wine, a condo in the Himalayas. Whatever it is, he knows a guy; that’s his modus operandi.” Still, Bobby’s not beyond being duped himself. “Bobby and Stig are lying to each other for half the picture. I’m not what I told him I am, and he’s not what he told me he is.”

Partnering these two performers was an exciting prospect for director Baltasar Kormákur, who initially suggested to the team that Washington’s Bobby would be the perfect foil for Wahlberg’s Stig. “I hadn’t seen Denzel play light,” says the director. “But the comedy in `2 Guns' is based on reality, like De Niro in `Midnight Run.' Denzel has such an immense presence, but actors with good drama sense have good timing. That timing is everything when it comes to comedy.”

Mark Wahlberg was glad that the stars finally aligned for the two men to work together. Discussing Washington, he states: “We have great chemistry. We’ve known each other for a while, and this was the perfect piece of material for both of us to show a different side of ourselves. People would be very surprised to see how playful Denzel can be. I remember shooting our first scene, and every take I would do something completely different. He said, ‘Oh, I see what’s happening here,’ and he jumped right on board.” Wahlberg admits that he had a bit of an ulterior motive, and that was to get Washington to laugh. “There’s nothing better than seeing Denzel smile. Usually you get to see that once or twice in a movie; in this film, we see it a lot.”

Opening across the Philippines on Sept. 25, “2 Guns” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit www.columbiapictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.

Two operatives (Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg) from competing bureaus are forced on the run together. But there is a big problem with their unexpected partnership: Neither knows that the other is an undercover federal agent, in Columbia Pictures' new, explosive action thriller, “2 Guns.”

Baltasar Kormakur (“Contraband”) reteams with Wahlberg to direct “2 Guns” from a screenplay that is written by Blake Masters (TV's “Brotherhood”) and based on the Boom! Studios graphic novels by Steven Grant.

Boom! Studios published the first issue of writer Steven Grant and artist Mateus Santolouoco’s explosive five-issue miniseries, “2 Guns,” in 2008. Grant told the intriguing tale of Bobby Trench and Michael Stigman, two undercover agents who discover that the amount of cash locked in the bank vault that they are robbing is not remotely what they expected. When the two find themselves double-crossed by the very men who set them up to do the job, they must go on the run from the organizations they vowed to serve.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Boom! Studios Ross Richie walks us through the source material: “It’s a story about characters ground up by the system, set within the framework of government agencies that pursue their goals, no matter the consequences. Steven took the familiar noir trope of an undercover cop tale, and he deconstructed that. He also included lots of comedy and action to make it incredibly entertaining.”

The series of graphic novels is written by a man with a curious take on this style of writing. “I like doing crime comics,” admits Grant, who calls “2 Guns” an “anti-buddy” story. “I don’t actually believe in good and evil. From my perspective, people walk a line, fall on this side or that, and wobble back and forth. It’s just a natural existence. I tend to view my material not as dramas, but as situational comedies where everybody in the story thinks they know what’s going on, and actually nobody in it knows what’s going on.”

Producer Marc Platt, who has shepherded to the big screen action hits such as “Wanted” and “Drive,” was keen to develop the graphic novel series brought to him by his colleague, fellow “2 Guns” producer Adam Siegel. Platt discusses his initial interest in the source material: “I always love stories where there are two characters who are seemingly very different, and the journey of the story is the way in which those two characters find their way to each other. Here were two guys who don’t want to be in the same general vicinity of each other, but who are forced to work together and learn something about each other and themselves in the process.”

Siegel recalls what drew him to the project, and the manner in which he worked with a talented screenwriter to flesh it out: “When I read Steven Grant’s graphic novel, I was blown away by the great characters and the clear concept that these were two guys who were undercover from each other.”

“2 Guns” is a natural progression of expression for director Baltasar Kormákur, a critically acclaimed actor and director in his native country of Iceland who made his American studio film debut in 2012’s hit “Contraband,” which starred Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale.

Discussing his choice to join the team, Kormákur says: “The script had this modern Western feel, which felt like something that I could play with and be stylized in finding ways of visualizing the story. There’s a lot of humanity to the characters. We like them as we follow them, even though they’re living in an elevated, but not necessarily unrealistic, criminal world.” He sums: “Ultimately, 2 Guns is a character-driven film that pays homage to Westerns through the feel and scope of the landscape.”

Kormákur readily admits that he is drawn to action scripts, but not simply for the sake of delivering adrenaline-fueled moments. “I look at what I can add to it, and I ask myself if I connect with the material or if it will just be another day at work,” he states. “I get attached to material that I feel I can put myself into and help the actors; that gets me excited.”

Opening across the Philippines on Sept. 18, “2 Guns” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visitwww.columbiapictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.