Film

Gunmen

Name: Gunmen
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Released: 1993
Cast: Christopher Lambert, Mario Van Peebles, Denis Leary, Patrick Stewart, Sally Kirkland

Gunmen is a 1993 action-comedy about a DEA agent and a criminal forced into an unlikely partnership hunting stolen money across South America. It's scrappy, silly, and committed to its own chaos—a film that knows exactly what it is and leans into the absurdity. Perfect for anyone who enjoyed the anarchic energy of 90s action movies, before they got too polished.

TMDb rating

2.6

If you liked this

Red Heat1988

A Soviet cop and American detective team up in Chicago. Like Gunmen, it's built on the buddy-cop friction between mismatched partners and finds real comedy in their clashing styles and cultures.

But The Soviet-American politics feel dated, and the action sequences, while competent, don't quite justify their length.

Tequila Sunrise1988

DEA agent versus drug dealer—both played as intelligent, sympathetic men on opposite sides. It shares Gunmen's willingness to let criminals have charm and complexity alongside the action.

But It's significantly slower and more serious, trading energy for introspection. Some find it slack.

Romancing the Stone1984

A writer and a soldier hunt treasure in South America while bickering and falling for each other. Gunmen borrows this exact setup—the ragtag partnership, the foreign setting, the balance of laughs and danger.

But It's fundamentally a romance, so if that doesn't appeal, the romantic subplot will feel like a detour.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Gunmen

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Point Break1991

Both are 90s action films that sell themselves on the buddy dynamic between two men on opposite sides of the law, and both find unexpected emotional truth in that relationship despite the cartoonish setup.

An FBI agent goes undercover with surfers who are also bank robbers. Like Gunmen, it's genuinely stupid on paper but executed with such commitment and style that you stop questioning it. Also: great action, real chemistry between leads, and a willingness to be funny without winking.

But It's extremely earnest about surfing and philosophy. If you're allergic to sincerity, it'll feel unintentionally hilarious.

The Hidden1987

An FBI agent and a cop from another planet must work together despite mutual distrust. It's got the same buddy-cop DNA—forced partnership, culture clash, absurdist premise played straight.

But It's a sci-fi B-movie, and the pacing can feel slack in the middle act.

Midnight Run1988

A bounty hunter and a mob accountant cross the country together. Perfectly executed on everything Gunmen attempts—the banter, the action, the real affection that grows between them.

But It might make Gunmen feel a bit threadbare by comparison. It's the version that got everything right.

Beverly Hills Cop1984

A cop from Detroit crashes Beverly Hills and breaks every rule. It has Gunmen's same DNA—genre-savvy comedy mixed with functional action, a charismatic lead doing riffs on what a cop actually is.

But The sequels wore the formula thin, and the original can feel slight if you approach it looking for depth.

Lethal Weapon 21989

Riggs and Murtaugh hunt South African drug dealers. It's got the South American adventure setting, the partnership under pressure, and the willingness to be ridiculous alongside genuine thrills.

But By the second film, the formula is getting creaky. If you haven't seen the first, this assumes too much.

48 Hrs.1982

A cop springs a convict for 48 hours to catch a killer. The template for the forced-partnership movie—two guys who shouldn't work together, learning to trust each other under pressure.

But It's quite violent in places, and some of the racial politics haven't aged well. It can feel uncomfortable now.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.2015

An American spy and Soviet agent go undercover together in Italy. It's got the same continental adventure vibe and the chemistry between mismatched partners as their core appeal.

But It's slower and more interested in spy-craft than action. If you want explosion-per-minute, you'll find it dull.

City of God2002

Both center on the South American underworld and refuse to treat criminals as cardboard. They're interested in who these people actually are.

A favela kid becomes a photographer while navigating warring drug dealers. It's a completely different film—serious, brutal, formally inventive—but it shares Gunmen's South American setting and its fascination with criminals as charismatic, complex human beings rather than villains.

But It's violent and bleak. There's no comedy here, no lightness. It demands intensity from you.

After the Sunset2004

Like Gunmen, it trusts that the real story is the relationship between the cop and the criminal, and that their banter and mutual respect is more interesting than any plot.

A retired thief and an FBI agent he's played cat-and-mouse with for years find themselves on the same case in the Bahamas. It's got the tropical setting, the partnership between cop and criminal, the heist-movie DNA, and genuine affection between its leads. Criminally underseen.

But It's a Pierce Brosnan vehicle, and it looks like one—glossy, lightweight, aimed at a specific audience. The action is minimal.