When Adam McKay and Will Ferrell began working together in feature films, they created the amazing Anchorman. It seemed like the sky was the limit for the duo. The two followed up with Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, two humorous movies that failed to reach the brilliance of the comedy duo’s debut.
Their fourth collaboration, The Other Guys, not only matches the brilliance of Anchorman but almost surpasses it.
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are two cops who can’t seem to catch a break. Ferrell is Allen, an accountant who prefers to sit at a desk, behind his computer and do paperwork. Mark Wahlberg is Terry, a hotshot, tied to his desk as punishment for shooting New York Yankees shortstop, Derek Jeter.
Allen loves working at his desk, thanks in large part to a deep, dark secret from his past. Terry cannot stand sitting behind his computer. He only wants to fly like a peacock. To make matters worse, the two cops are the laughing stock of a police force that idolizes Danson and Highsmith, the super cops of the department.
Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson portray Danson and Highsmith to perfection. This is the kind of role that fans wanted to see The Rock take on when he left the WWE. He is cocksure, arrogant and a blowhard. The only character who overshadows him is Jackson, with his yelling and pompous grandstanding. They are electric every time they are on screen together.
McKay is not a very good director at the action set pieces in this film but he is great at framing comedy in scenes. It is easy to see he is making fun of movies like Michael Bay’s Bad Boys. Every time Danson and Highsmith are in action, he shoots the scenes in a hyperkinetic way. The first time we see these super cops chasing the villains, it is a glorious exercise in absurdity. When The Rock leaps off the top of a van and onto his partner’s car, easily sliding into the passenger side window, it is easy to remember movies that make this a serious action. The scene ends with Sam Jackson driving into an exploding building and next appearing at the press conference without a scratch on him. It is obvious the director is poking fun at the entire convention. It is comic genius.
I will not spoil the second time we see the super cops in action but I will say it is an unexpected, jaw-dropping scene that ups the ante.
This brings us back to Allen and Terry. Both Ferrell and Wahlberg get a lot of crap for their "lesser acting talents" but that is not fair. Farrell has a shtick and, when he is on, he is hilarious. Wahlberg has been in some stinkers over the years but has proven repeatedly to be the best thing in them. Here, both men flex their comedic muscles. Will Ferrell is Will Ferrell and you know exactly what to expect from him. Wahlberg is a different animal, a cocksure cop with insecurity problems and anger management issues. This is the funniest Wahlberg has been since "Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch."
The supporting cast is just as good.
Michael Keaton is excellent as the police captain who moonlights as a manager at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I have always believed Keaton was best when allowed to be quirky and he is on fire here. His performance brings back memories of his Multiplicity days and makes me long for more Keaton comedy roles. Rob Riggle and Damon Wayans Jr. do fine in their roles as the cops who idolize Danson and Highsmith and make Allen and Terry’s lives a living hell.
Steve Coogan is as brilliant as ever playing the criminal forced to embezzle millions of dollars to save his own life. Finally, Ray Stevenson continues to impress as a bad guy, although he is playing pretty much the same role he portrayed in Book of Eli.
With a great cast and some very funny action sequences, the movies determination to throw in everything including the kitchen sink slightly weighs it down. A lot of the movie seems improvised. There are some funny sequences between Allen and his "average looking wife" Sheila (Eva Mendes). Some are integral to the plot but others have nothing to do with the forward momentum of the movie. There is also a subplot between Terry and his ex girlfriend that could be excised completely and not alter the direction of the movie in any way.
If you remove every scene that has nothing to do with the plot of the movie, it would clock in at under an hour. That makes it obvious that, with so much filler, the movie is nothing more than an exercise in various skits with a movie playing around it. That is fine in this case because the skits are extremely funny but it makes the movie very slight.
Make sure you also stick around and watch the end credits. Instead of just showing the final credits or a batch of outtakes, the filmmakers added an animation to show the effect of corporate crimes on normal, average people.
