This mismatched-cops comedy takes several well-aimed swipes at the action genre, blending knockabout farce with quick-witted humour. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg play deskbound detectives envious of their all-guns-blazing front line colleagues (played to the hilt by Samuel L Jackson and Dwayne Johnson). So when the two paperhangers inadvertently find themselves at the centre of a major case while investigating a billionaire fraudster's building permit violation, Wahlberg sees it as an opportunity for promotion and to gain the respect of his mocking peers, if only he can overcome his accountant partner's constant bumbling. What could have been a bog-standard buddy movie is elevated here by the two terrific leads: Wahlberg succeeds by playing each scene with steely grit and a straight face, while Ferrell is close to the side-splitting form of Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy, an earlier collaboration with director Adam McKay. Jackson, Eva Mendes and Michael Keaton also get the opportunity to show off their comic talent in a fine supporting cast.

Unlike their heroic counterparts on the force, desk-bound NYPD detectives Gamble and Hoitz garner no headlines as they work day to day. When a seemingly minor case turns out to be a big deal, the two cops get the opportunity to finally prove to their comrades that they have the right stuff.