A buddy-cop movie that works

The other guys

Cast Samuel L Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Larnell Stovall

Director Adam McKay

Rating 15+

If the mismatched-buddy cop movie seems egregiously overdone, the idea of a parody of that genre would seem especially needless, which is what makes The Other Guys such a wonderful surprise.

On paper, this could have been painfully lame. Will Ferrell is doing a variation on his tried-and-true film persona: the overly earnest guy who is totally confident and oblivious to his buffoonery. Mark Wahlberg, meanwhile, is playing with his screen image as a tough guy and a hothead. And the joke you see in the TV commercials, Ferrell blasting Little River Band's mellow 1970s hit Reminiscing on the way to a crime scene, is good for a laugh.

It all could have been too familiar, too cute. But there are just enough tweaks to these characters and this formula, and a refreshingly weird streak throughout, that make The Other Guys an unexpected kick. It runs out of steam in the third act and probably could have been tightened a bit. Also we did not need the PowerPoint-style presentation over the closing credits preaching to us about corporate greed: we all are quite aware that it is a problem. But the majority of the movie works.

A big reason for the film's success is that the action sequences are played totally straight. The chases and shootouts on the streets of New York are elaborately staged and detailed, down to the cliché that the bad guys always have crazy amounts of automatic weaponry but still manage to miss our heroes, even when firing from a helicopter.

There's also a homage to John Woo that takes place in a glassed-off conference room with documents and bullets and bodies flying in artful slow-motion: again, because it is choreographed so well and not played cartoonishly, it is more effective.

The comedy similarly has a deadpan tone: it is self-aware but not tongue-in-cheek. This is not over the top like a Scary Movie parody, and that makes it more appealing, too. The tossed-off pop culture references feel naturally like a part of the fabric. Like the previous movies Ferrell has collaborated on with writer-director Adam McKay, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and (with lesser success) Step Brothers, The Other Guys comes from a realistic, often understated place, which makes the wild moments pop out that much more.

Ferrell stars as Allen Gamble, a New York police detective with the demeanour (and wardrobe) of an accountant. He would rather solve crimes from the comfort and safety of his desk, but he always is happy to support his colleagues with some hearty words of encouragement. Wahlberg plays his partner, Terry Hoitz, who used to be out on the streets and is itching to get back, but is stuck in the office with Allen because of an accidental shooting.

The city's hotshot detectives (Samuel L Jackson and Dwayne Johnson, also toying with their larger-than-life personae) dominate by solving the most high-profile cases. But Allen and Terry stumble across something that looks shady involving corporate financial guru David Ershon (Steve Coogan), a sort of British version of Bernie Madoff. Coogan adds his own style of dry humour to the mix and is among a strong supporting cast that includes Michael Keaton, Rob Riggle and Eva Mendes.

Speaking of Mendes, she is crucial to a running joke that, surprisingly, works the whole time. We won't say much more about it, though. You should really meet and get to know these guys for yourself.