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Bullets wiz past, cars explode and a
muscle car is stuck in the side of a bus. You’d be forgiven for thinking
this was the opening to the latest mid-90s action film from Arnold
Schwarzenegger but it’s not, it’s our introduction to the world of
The Other Guys, and to Danson (Dwayne Johnson) and P.K. Highsmith
(Samuel L Jackson), New York police officers at the pinnacle of their
profession.
Enter Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell),
taking a picture of the heroic pair, and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg)
trying to obstruct him. They are the not so cool “other guys”, and the
focus of Adam McKay’s highly entertaining action-comedy (his fourth film
with Ferrell after Anchorman, Talledega Nights and Step
Brothers).
Gamble and Hoitz are the lowest of the
low New York detectives. They aren’t even worthy of being in the shadow
of Danson and Highsmith’s shadow, but when Danson and Highsmith
foolishly kill themselves on a job, Hoitz, who dreams of becoming the
top dog, sees his opportunity, and a reluctant Gamble comes along with
him.
Will Ferrell is at the top of his game as the
pimp-come-straight-edge police accountant with the ability to attract
unimaginably gorgeous women. Mark Wahlberg, not known for his comedic
skills, is equally hilarious as the hysterical detective infamous for
accidentally shooting Derek Jeter.
A spoof of the buddy cop movie
(attention Kevin Smith, this is how you do it), there are the requisite
fights, car chases, gun battles and hot women, but all with an added
comedic bent. Gamble honed his driving skills playing Grand Theft
Auto, while Hoitz knows how to dance from paying out the queer kids
he knew in his youth. What makes the film work is the chemistry between
Ferrell and Wahlberg. The two play off each other really well due to
their different personalities.
The script is solid and hilarious with
plenty of quotable lines; Ferrell’s rebuttal to Wahlberg’s Lion threat
(seen in the trailer) is absolutely hilarious, and it featurethe tame
type of quotable humour we’ve come to expect from a McKay/Ferrell
collaboration. Perhaps a gag involving hobo-sex in a car outstays its
welcome, but the majority is pitch perfect and will leave you in
stitches, though Gamble’s pimp persona wears thin after a while; Ferrell
is much funnier when he’s playing it straight.
Not a genre known for its intricate
storytelling, McKay and Henchy’s screenplay plays with modern financial
woes, even going so far as to have an end credits sequence decrying
Ponzi schemes and corrupt Wall Street bankers. It’s entertaining, but
comes out of nowhere – the film otherwise adheres to conventional
action-movie formulas.
Ferrell and Wahlberg are supported by a
great cast. Samuel L makes brief presence amuses while Michael Keaton is
brilliant as the TLC-quoting Captain who moonlights at Bed, Bath &
Beyond. There was something about his little quirks that made him
likable. Characters like Dwayne Johnson and Steve Coogan didn’t really
have a chance to make a mark on the film, but Eva Mendes is pretty funny
as Gamble’s supposedly plain wife. Watching Ferrell abuse her for
looking like a hobo was hilarious. And outside of one or two poorly done
CGI moments, McKay handles the action with a surprising amount of style.
If you are a fan of Ferrell and McKay
collaborations, you’ll love The Other Guys. It’s has the same
natural, yet absurdly quotable qualities that made Anchorman a
classic, with a good dose of action thrown in to for good measure.
Recommended. |
