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Category:    Home > Reviews > Comedy > Action > Police > The Other Guys (2010/Sony Blu-ray)

The Other Guys (2010/Sony Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B     Sound: B+     Extras: B     Film: C+

 

 

Someone just recently said to me that a film where Mark Wahlberg is an accessory character usually does quite well, but the minute the main focus is on him the film is a disaster; I would tend to agree.  The only exception I can think of is Boogie Nights, but even at that Wahlberg’s acting was generally dreadful.  Then there is Will Farrell, who continues to play the same over the top, obnoxious character in every film or television stint he has done.  So combine the mediocre Mark Wahlberg and the obnoxious, hit or miss Will Farrell and you have the train wreck known as The Other Guys.

 

The Other Guys has Will Farrell and Mark Wahlberg teaming up as an unlikely police partners.  Farrell is the odd straight arrow cop who would rather do paper work than fight crime, while Wahlberg’s character (just recently demoted after accidentally shooting Derek Jeter) is the diehard police office looking to kick ass and take names.  At the beginning of the film we have Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson being the top cops on the scene, most of the time causing more damage than the crime is worth; essentially a satire of the Lethal Weapon/Die Hard film mentality.  But after an idiotic/unfortunate event the duo are off the street (more like all over it) and all the city’s cops are looking to take their place as the hot shots in town.  Whereas Mark Wahlberg’s Detective Hoitz character wants to get out on the streets, but since Will Farrell’s Detective Gamble is glued to his desk there is no such luck; to the point where Hoitz kidnaps Gamble at gun point so they can go solve a crime.  The film from there goes on to follow Hoitz and Gamble as they get mixed up in a (nonsense) crime involving poorly invested money, the stock exchange, and a band of private thugs.  Whereas, Hoitz and Gamble are not inept, they are screw ups and trouble seems to follow them wherever they go.  So the viewer gets to experience a buddy cop film, where the cops aren’t such buddies.

 

The films script is weak and whereas I did have a good chuckle here and there, overall it was a flop.  Eva Mendes as Will Farrell’s insanely gorgeous wife was a humorous touch that was a solid setup for many jokes, but that can only take a film so far.  Once again it was the lack of range on both Farrell’s and Wahlberg’s parts that made the film so horrible, on top of an already idiotic script.  Good concept, poor execution.

 

The picture is a 1080p AVC encoded MPEG-4 presentation that is solid with bright colors, a crisp image, and solid blacks; there is some motion blur and though a solid presentation, nothing too impressive is demonstrated.  The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is better than the picture as there are a fair amount of action scenes in the film that utilize great directionality and bass, as well as continuing to prioritize dialogue throughout.

 

The extras are ACTUALLY better than the film itself, giving fans an opportunity to see some true, unbridled comedy that keeps giving.  My one complaint is that whereas the extras are ‘plentiful’ they are all VERY short (usually less than 5 minutes) and leaves fans wanting more.  Extras include Bed, Bath & Way Beyond featurette; some Deleted/Extended Scenes; Crash and Burn featurette going over the films many stunts; Mom-Mentary; Gag Reel; Line-O-Rama; Flash Forwards; Wasn’t That???; Alternate Action; Rob Riggle Likes to Party; Why are the Brits in this Movie?; We Shouldn’t Kiss Chicken; Mark Wahlberg’s Eating Contest Entourage; Lendl Global Commercial; “Pimps Don’t Cry” Music Video; Everyone Hates the DVD Guy; Extreme Close Up; Blu-ray Live features.

 

 

-   Michael P. Dougherty II


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