When I lived on the beach, the old man in whose home I stayed watched a lot of television.  There was a routine, too.  After the evening news, it was Wheel of Fortune (1975-present) and then Jeopardy! (1964-present).  This would inevitably be proceeded by some kind of cop show.  The NCIS franchise was one staple, and it would be a crime (no pun intended) if he missed Blue Bloods (2010-2024).  As a Catholic, this last one mentioned was the least irritating as they practiced the same Faith as myself.  Watching that and the others, I came to the conclusion that every program, even if it had nothing to do with law enforcement, was a cop show.  As such, I appreciate a film like The Other Guys (2010), starring the brother of Blue Bloods star Donnie Wahlberg, Mark Wahlberg.  Of course, The Other Guys is different in tone, but it also has its Catholic references.

There are no Catholic references at the beginning of The Other Guys.  Indeed, we get Detectives Christopher Danson (Dwayne Johnson) and P. K. Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson), who are decidedly not the title pair.  They are tearing through New York City streets in pursuit of a car that turns out to be occupied by a few low-level marijuana dealers.  While the city recovers, its citizens and their fellow officers praise them for their so-called heroism.  As they are fêted at the precinct, on the fringes of the revelers are Detectives Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg).  While Allen shows his appreciation, Terry sees their celebrated fellow cops for the buffoons they are.  Part of Terry’s problem is the fact that he is not leading the life among New York’s finest that he hoped.  This stems from having accidentally shot Derek Jeter (as himself) before game seven of the World Series for the New York Yankees.  This action has earned him the scorn of his peers, but it gets worse.  He is stuck with a partner who is oblivious to all that, and just wants to be polite and unassuming, that being Allen.  Further, rather than head out whenever a call comes through, Allen prefers to stay at his desk and continue working.  Besides, Detectives Danson and Highsmith seem to always be on the spot, guns blazing.  However, their behavior becomes too rash even for them when they decide to jump from the top of a twenty-story building to stop a perpetrator, miss, and end up dying.  Their passing leaves a void that needs to be filled, and Terry tries to get Allen excited for being that duo.  Still, when the next major incident is radioed in, it is the bullying Detectives Fosse (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Martin (Rob Riggle) who answer the call.  Terry has to kidnap Allen at gunpoint from their precinct to head towards the danger.  Terry is too overzealous, though, and his excitement spurs Allen to speed into the scene of an elaborate jewel heist, running over a dead body in the process.  As they slink away from the area, Allen convinces Terry to go after a case on which the former accountant that is Allen had been working.  Terry agrees, if for no other reason to stay away from their desks, and they end up encountering English financier Sir David Ershon (Steve Coogan).  We have already met the British billionaire by this point, observing his shady business dealings.  For Allen, it is his questionable hiring of scaffolding companies that attracts the detective’s attention.  Though Allen and Terry end up arresting Sir Ershon, on the way to the station they are rammed by another car.  The offending vehicles’ occupants emerge and take Sir Ershon at gunpoint.  Upon returning to the precinct, our two suffering officers are called into Captain Gene Mauch’s (Michael Keaton) office.  Sitting there with their boss is Sir Ershon’s legal representation, Don Beamen (Andy Buckley), and the head of his security team, Roger Wesley (Ray Stevenson).  In other words, Sir Ershon is not happy, but he is willing to not press charges as long as the matter is left alone.  As usually happens in these things, Allen and Terry do the opposite, pursuing the case further.  It is the beginning of them building trust, which is further cemented when Allen invites Terry to have dinner with him and his wife, Dr. Sheila Ramos Gamble (Eva Mendes).  Allen and Terry remain focused on Sir Ershon, who succeeds several times in distracting them with bribes even though they see it coming.  Initially, they believe it centers on Sir Ershon trying to launder money through the state lottery as a way of covering his losses, which number in the billions of dollars.  At the same time, Roger keeps an eye on them, and attacks them when it appears they are getting too close to the truth.  This time, he keeps them in Allen’s Toyota Prius, but places it on a train that takes them all the way to Las Vegas.  By the time they return, Gene is not happy with them and places them on foot patrol.  For Terry, this means being a traffic cop, a role he takes to surprisingly well.  It is Allen that cannot let their case rest.  Investigating on his own, he learns that the jewel heist had been a distraction for Roger to break into an accounting firm tied to Sir Ershon.  Hence, when Allen convinces Terry, with Gene’s approval, to nab Sir Ershon, it is as he is meeting a group of investors to whom he owes a lot of money.  This includes the New York Police Department (NYPD) pension fund, which becomes Allen and Terry’s new priority in stopping.  The problem is that after they take Sir Ershon, everyone is gunning for them, including the police.  In the morning, with the requisite car chase, they make it to the company responsible for the Brit’s illegitimate transactions and prevent another ripoff.  It is Allen and Terry’s turn to be heroes, and the film ends with them going after more criminals.

During the end credits of The Other Guys, they feature information on Ponzi schemes and give modern examples of such crimes, like those of Bernie Madoff.  If you are not familiar with what exactly is a Ponzi scheme, it is a con, named after Charles Ponzi, wherein you give money to somebody who promises a large return on your investment that never materializes.  That is what Sir Ershon is doing in the film, which is why so many people are after him.  To simplify matters, a Ponzi scheme is a lie, which is something nobody should do, Christian or otherwise.  What is highlighted in the movie, and what made this particular crime so devastating, is that it preys on the unsuspecting.  Again, this is underscored in the end credits.  Since the early 1900s when Charles Ponzi was active, the richest people in this country have gotten even richer, while the rise in income of everyone else has not kept up at the same pace.  Please understand that the Catholic Church does not begrudge a wealthy person.  It is what a person does with treasure that matters.  As told in the Gospel of Luke, and in Mark, Jesus observes many well-off people donating huge sums of money to the temple treasuring.  Then He notices the poor widow putting in two small coins.  He underscores this last contribution, saying in Mark 14:43-44: “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury.  For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”  What the old woman is doing is exhibiting the kind of trust people display when they hand over their hard-earned money to a person like Sir Ershon.  What is worse is that a Ponzi scheme involves the false promise of greater Earthly riches.  The old woman does so because she believes she is storing up riches in Heaven.  She will be rewarded.

And I was rewarded more than I thought I would be in watching The Other Guys.  While I am usually open to watching a movie with my fellow Catholic, Mark Wahlberg, in it, Will Ferrell holds less interest.  All the same, they did well together.  There is a little adult humor in it, but it does not take over the film.  Otherwise, it is a pretty solid piece of cinema.