> The Other Guys
4 stars (out of 5)
Directed by: Adam McKay
Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Steve Coogan, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, Samuel L Jackson, Dwayne Johnson
Rating: M
Eons ago, every other movie would be about two mismatched cops forced to team up and learn to work with each other to take the bad guys down. The template is still wheeled out from time to time but now it is usually used for comedies.
The Other Guys (Rialto and Hoyts) is set in New York where two gung-ho cops - PK Highsmith (Samuel L Jackson) and Christopher Dansen (Dwayne Johnson) - are the go-to guys for all crime-solving.
Watching from the sidelines is desk cop Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), who longs to be the one making the busts. However, he is stuck with Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell), a forensic accountant who prefers to stay at his desk hunting down scaffolding infractions.
Much to Terry's surprise, it is Allen's auditing skills that lead them on to the sort of big career-making case he dreams of. While The Other Guys does have a plot, its real strength is the barrage of humour it aims at the audience.
You are afraid to laugh too long and too hard for fear of missing the next zinger.
Best thing: The ridiculously macho cop world the movie creates is hilarious and Wahlberg, with his cry of "I'm a peacock, let me fly", fits it like a glove.
Worst thing: The M rating. Technically there is no sex and only low-level violence but there is a lot of talking about stuff that many parents will be uncomfortable having to explain to children under 10.
See it with: As many buddies as you can muster. You will want to sit about afterwards recapping all the highlights in an almost endless round of "What about when they..."
- Christine Powley
