Review:
The Other Guys

Will Ferrell movies are usually approached with a degree of worry. After all, you can pretty much guarantee that Ferrell is going to shout, scream and do everything he can to come off as wacky as possible and nine times out of ten, it doesn’t work at all. Happily, The Other Guys is that one in ten where Ferrell’s madcap antics fit the rest of the film and result is comedy gold.

Danson (Dwayne Johnson) and Highsmith (Samuel L Jackson) are the two best cops in New York City, known for kicking ass, taking names and looking damn cool while they do it. During a routine gunfight/ rooftop chase to stop some jewel thieves, Danson and Highsmith fall to their deaths and the rest of the NYPD begins fighting amongst themselves to become the new hotshot cops.

Unfortunately for detective Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), his partner is Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell), a cop who is happily bound to his desk and to paperwork, hated by all the other officers and who has never fired a shot from his gun (which soon gets replaced with a wooden cut-out.) While Hoitz would rather be out on the streets, busting heads and arresting perps, Gamble is convinced he’s found something of worth in some illegal scaffolding permits, which tie up with investment banker David Ershon (Steve Coogan), a man who is wanted by many organisations across the world for managing to lose $32 billion.

If Anchorman proved that Will Ferrell works best when unrestrained by the material, then The Other Guys proves the exact opposite: a restrained Will Ferrell is almost as funny, especially when his character is perfectly written to mimic the actor. Adding extra credence to this theory is Mark Wahlberg, whose comic timing and delivery is so brilliant you may wonder why this is his first (intentional) comic role. The supporting cast are just as excellent. Michael Keaton returns from the actor’s wilderness to play police captain Gene, who also works as a manager at Bed, Bath & Beyond. Rob Riggle and Damon Wayans Jr. provide excellent support as hideous rival cops Martin and Fosse, the type of guys who write on Twitter ‘at the crime scene, lol!’ Even Eva Mendes puts in a stellar performance as Ferrell’s ludicrously attractive wife. Perhaps the only disappointment is that Steve Coogan simply plays it like all the other Hollywood roles he’s had.