The Other Guys [2010]

January 10, 2023

There’s no doubt in my mind, The Other Guys is definitely one of the best action comedies ever released. Not only it’s highly entertaining with a lot of action but it’s also hilarious. I must’ve watched it dozen times by now and each time was special. Since this is such a popular movie, I thought that there’s no need for a Subversive Rabbit movie recommendation as you already know about it. However, with so many movies coming out every year, it’s easy to forget the good ones. And this one is fucking masterpiece. The thing I loved most about is the script. It’s just so freaking intelligent and well-constructed. You can feel that someone thought the shit out of this one.

I love that some of the jokes start and then continue out of nowhere after five minutes. You feel like you’re dodging punches or trying to some air into your lungs after laughing so hard and then bam! Right in the kisser! There’s only one movie that comes close if not exceeding the levels reached here and that’s MacGruber. I would also add Tropic Thunder to that shortlist, but that’s a whole other story. The Other Guys is also a perfect movie for the holidays. It’s relatively short with a running time of just 107 minutes and it’s also fast-paced. We effortlessly glide from one hilarious scene to another, with just a couple of brief moments of resting time.

This was the fourth of five collaborations between Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay. This means that they’re a well-oiled laughing machine with perfect timing. Add to this Mark Wahlberg playing a role that’s within his limits and you’ve got yourself a winner. Of course, we shouldn’t forget about the real other guys, Samuel L. Jackson, and The Rock. And we certainly won’t forget beautiful Eva Mendes and threateningly charismatic Ray Stevenson. Michael Keaton was excellent as Captain Gene, playing a straight role of a police captain who also works in Bed Bath & Beyond. As you can notice, the plot of this movie is completely over-the-top but it simply works.

Highsmith and Danson are two of the most decorated NYPD officers doing all kinds of stunts and getting all the attention. Their colleagues Terry Hoitz and Allen Gamble are the opposite of them, although Gamble did receive a lot of attention a couple of years ago. Negative attention to be more precise. However, there will soon come a time when the two of them will have to work together to solve one humongous case.

The Other Guys reminded me of a string of great late eighties and early nineties parody movies. These are the action comedies I grew up on and love to this day. I’m talking about movies like The Naked Gun, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Hot Shots, and basically any movie with Leslie Nielsen. The movie we talked about today took that premise and built a more compelling narrative around all the jokes. The story’s not just about punchlines and set-ups for the next joke but it actually has a plot. And I love how they listed all the financial shenanigans during the closing credits, that’s a perfect ten from me.