# The Other Guys - Blu-Ray Review



## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=5465[/img]*Title: The Other Guys
Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Samuel Jackson and Dwayne Johnson
Directed by: Adam McKay
Written by: Adam McKay, Chris Henchy
Studio: Sony
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 107 Minutes
Release Date: 12/14/2010* 

*Movie:* :3.5stars:
*Video:* :4stars:
*Audio:* :4.5stars: 
*Extras:* :3.5stars: 
*Overall:* :4stars: 



*Synopsis:* 
P.K. Highsmith (Jackson) and his partner Chris Danson (Johnson) are the two most recognized and decorated ‘Super Cops’ in the NYPD. Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) is a disgraced officer; once highly regarded as an up and coming superstar on the police force certain to become FBI, now Terry spends his days in a monotonous routine behind a desk that never seems to end. Officer Allen Gamble (Ferrell) is Hoitz' partner; a former forensics accountant and all around nice guy with an equally boring, but safe existence however; when Highsmith and Danson die unexpectedly in line of duty, it is up to “The Other Guys” to step up and fill their shoes.[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=5466[/img]

The Other Guys re-teams Ferrell and Director Adam McKay whose previous works together include; Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights and Step Brothers. The humor in The Other Guys is about on par with Talladega Nights and Anchorman. There is a substantial amount of stupid and very crude humor that seems to be the signature of both Ferrell and McKay and this should by no means be considered family entertainment.

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=5467[/img]That being said, I personally really enjoyed ‘The Other Guys’. Ferrell did a great job in this movie and nearly scrubbed my memory of 2009’s ‘Land of the Lost’. As Allen Gamble, Ferrell was perfectly cast as the bumbling and clueless partner to Wahlberg’s Hoitz. I thought his performance was great and I really hope this is a sort of re-start for his career as his roles have gotten a bit stale lately to say the least. Mark Wahlberg was also pretty fun to watch as the angry officer with some long term issues that need to be worked out. Both actors played off of one another very well and had a pretty good chemistry on screen. 

With that in mind, not everything was great about this movie either. Some of the more stupid and crude humor was mind numbingly so as there were a couple of scenes that I just shook my head and asked ‘Why?’ These types of scenes were few, but they did briefly kill the momentum that the movie had been building. Another small issue I had was with a couple of scenes that the special effects were less than perfect and stood out as so. The chase scene with Jackson and Johnson in the beginning wreaks of a green screen. Still, overall 'The Other Guys' was able to deliver for me and for some strange reason; I think multiple viewings may actually make the movie better. I call this the Austin Power Effect. I didn't even like that movie until the third or fourth time I watched it and then I couldn't get enough of it. Very strange indeed....


*Rating:* 
Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, violence and some drug material.

*Video:* :4stars:
The Other Guys is presented in 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 and is indeed a very solid transfer. Color reproduction was perfectly natural in every scene. Skin tones were warm and equally natural looking. The overall image was incredibly sharp and clear throughout the 107 minutes runtime with no signs of deficiencies that I could see in the transfer. Black levels were excellent and very consistent throughout and shadow delineation was nearly flawless. 

There is a scene near the midway point where Hoitz and Gamble go out for a night on the town. The scene is a single shot that was a collection of frozen images of the two officers through different times throughout the night as the camera started at the entrance of the bar and made its way through to the back. The whole scene took about a minute but was truly a site to see. I thoroughly enjoyed that shot.

Of course I once again find myself torn between the pros and cons of such high resolution. There is a scene, again around the midway point in the film, where Gamble is talking to his wife played by Eva Mendez. In the scene, there is something odd about Ferrell’s face that comes across as just too much detail. This is just one of those instances where there is so much detail that those minor human imperfections really start coming out.


























*Audio:* :4.5stars: 
Only slightly better than the video was the audio. 'The Other Guys' sports a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio codec and the results are extremely satisfying. Particular attention was paid to many of the action moments with gunfire erupting and a hail of bullets whizzing through every channel. Car chase scenes are top notch with the surrounds being filled with full throttle engines roaring past you. There is a scene near the beginning where a bold group of thieves break into a jewelry store using a wrecking ball and the thunderous pounding that it gives off really is quite a treat. 

Dialogue was clear and concise throughout the movie with a very balanced and easily understandable reproduction. Voices don’t get lost in the chaos and each individual nuance comes through with equal clarity. The score is also something to take note of as scenes are given plenty of extra atmosphere and emotion as the music fills the speakers. 

Alas there was a flaw uncovered however; the flaw was with the sound design as I did find the overall audio to be lacking in ambient noise from the surrounds. I felt that there were several missed opportunities for the hustle and bustle of the city streets that could have added a lot of depth to the scenes. That being said, the point deduction of .5 that I am assessing should cover it. Overall this audio presentation is solid and is really more geared to the action sequences that are prevalent throughout the movie.

*Extras:* :3.5stars:

No digital copy!


movieIQ
Crash and Burn!
Wasn't That???
Why Are There Brits In This Movie?
Rob Riggle Likes To Party
We Shouldn't Kiss Chicken
Mark Wahlberg's Eating Contest Entourage
"Pimps Don't Cry" music video
Bed Bath and Way Beyond
Deleted & Extended Scenes
Alternate Action
Line-O-Rama
The "Mom"-mentary
Extreme Close Up
Everyone Hates The DVD Guy
The "Mom"-mentary- Unrated Version
DVD Combo Pack

*Overall:* :4stars:
Overall, I found The Other Guys to be an enjoyable, adult comedy with plenty of laughs. The humor did border on the insanely stupid from time to time however; if you have enjoyed past efforts such as Anchorman and Talladega Nights then you should feel confident about picking this one up as should Will Ferrell fans in general. For most however; this will be a rental all the way. Until next time campers, have a good day and in case I don't see ya later, a good afternoon, a good evening, and a good night! :wave:


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## Cory Phoenix (Nov 7, 2010)

Great review Dale. I moved it to the top of my Netflix que. Yay! Unfortunately, it doesn't "release" for Netflix 'til 1/11/2011. Boooo!


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## kingnoob (Mar 12, 2013)

Great movie Another Superb performance from Will Ferral


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## tripplej (Oct 23, 2011)

Thanks for a nice writeup. I did enjoy "Anchorman" and "Talladega Nights". It is good to just sit back and don't think about a movie and just laugh yourself silly. I will rent this movie. Thanks again!


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