The first 15 minutes of “The Other Guys,” builds an expectation that this might be one of the best action comedies in recent years. However, even though it is a very funny movie, the quality drops as the story progresses.  

Story
Every movie about cops has its heroes. You know the kind; trigger happy, driving fast cars and hugely self confident. Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson portray two such cops. The opening sequence, in which the two super cops catch bad guys in the most spectacular manner, is priceless.

But, what about the other guys? The guys who do all the paper work; the common, boring, everyday tasks? You are likely to find them behind a desk, hidden behind stacks of paper, wearing grey suits. Allen Gamble (Will Ferrel) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) are two such cops. Allen chose to become an accountant in the police force, the safest job he could imagine. He is perfectly suited for a desk job, having no ambitions towards promotion. Terry, on the other hand, loves action. Unfortunately, his temper is out of control, and his aggressive behavior has earned him a desk job.  Terry finds Allen incredibly annoying, and desperately wants to get back to the streets, catching bad guys.
 
What will happen when the other guys need to take action? The case Allen and Terry are investigating, seemingly insignificant and simple, turns out to be a huge scandal. They need to act with force and determination to uphold the law. One thing is certain; nothing goes according to plan.

Quality and Theme
If ”The Other Guys” had maintained the quality of the first 15 minutes throughout the movie, this could have been a classic. The screenwriters (Adam McKay and Chris Henchy), have sacrificed coherence and logic in favor of fun popular cultural references and several hilarious plot twists. This is no loss, as the story works quite well on its own terms. We see Mark Wahlberg at his very best when he meets Allen’s gorgeous wife, portrayed by Eva Mendes. He finds it completely baffling that his dull colleague has such luck with the ladies. However, as a character, Allen is better developed throughout the story, not least due to the fact that we get to know his background.

Unfortunately, as the story progresses, the movie loses its focus, becoming increasingly less interesting and funny.

Suitability
”The Other Guys,” is not your typical action movie, though there is no shortage of action. There is a lot of shooting and chasing of bad guys, still; these sequences are described with humor and irony. The movie has an appropriate PG-13 rating.

Conclusion
Despite the drop in quality towards the end of the movie, ”The Other Guys,” offers more than enough entertainment to deserve our recommendation.  

Facts

Director: Adam McKay Genre: Action/Comedy Actors: Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Michael Keaton, Ray Stevenson, Eva Mendes, Paris Hilton, Anne Heche and more Language: English Nationality: USA Production Company: Gary Sanchez Productions, Mosaic Media Group, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Length: 1h 45mins Production Year: 2010 MPAAge Rating: PG-13 Suitability: Young people/Adults Rating Reason: Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, violence and some drug material.

Our Assessment: Recommended

Official website:
http://www.theotherguys-movie.com/

Other reviews:

New York Times

The Washington Post