When two of New York’s finest are killed in the line of duty (a cracking comedic turn from Dwayne Johnson to start the movie) it’s left for two desk-bound paper-pushers – The Other Guys – to fill their shoes. At first that seems pretty unlikely; Allen (Will Ferrell) is one prissy, nerdy, perky forensic accountant who irritates the living shit out of his partner Terry (Marky Mark Wahlberg). But as they investigate a massive multi-billion dollar fraud, Allen’s darker alter-ego begins to take control.
Oh, you know, I’ve tried writing this review so many times but there’s just not that much to say. It’s an absolutely silly film, carried by Ferrell’s completely impervious performance, a bit of ridiculous banter and some daft running jokes. I found the workplace hostility all a bit off-putting, but otherwise it’s a ludicrously non-challenging way to spend an hour or two. The setting is undeniably New York but it’s kind of random and could really have been anywhere – there’s a scene at Madison Square Garden (Jennifer Connolly; “Call me!”) and another great little setpiece at the Golf Driving Range at Chelsea Piers but for the rest, it could have been Toronto.
Oh, one last thing: Ray Stevenson won’t get any awards for his Australian accent though: what was that?
