Dwayne The Rock Johnson is the biggest movie star in the world. And even on the off chance thats not true anymore, hes still pretty insistent that it is. But for all the ways that Johnson has turned himself into a Hollywood megastar, the truth is that none of the action blockbusters hes made in the last 15 years have come close to the highs he hit in the first 15 minutes of the 2010 action comedy The Other Guys, which leaves Netflix this Friday.The Other Guys is an action comedy mostly starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as two hapless cops thrown into the deep end of a dangerous case. But the best part of the movie no matter how much you like the rest is the first 15 minutes, which are more like a straightforward action movie featuring the badass cops who were supposed to take the case, played by Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson. It effectively communicates the reason our two heroes are the other guys Jackson and Johnson play the platonic ideal of action heroes, superheroes without capes who can catch any bad guy and defy death seven days a week until the moment they dont. Then, the whole world is suddenly stuck with their bumbling idiot replacements. Its a great setup for comedy.The only problem is that it works a little too well. The whole sequence looks stylish and flashy; its tense and fun and has better action and comedy than most of the rest of the movie.It all feels like a Bad Boys short film, and in it, Johnson is smarter, funnier, and more knowing about his persona than he is in nearly any movie since. The whole performance is full of smarmy looks and haughty entrances that Johnson perfected as perhaps the WWEs most widely embraced heel: Hes a showoff who can back up every brag. Its Johnsons entire essence and brand, distilled into 15 excellent minutes of a movie he isnt even the star of.But that too is part of the secret of Johnsons movie career: He shines brightest when he isnt the star. Outside of Michael Bays excellent Pain & Gain, which truly leverages everything that works (and doesnt) about Johnsons star power to turn him into equal parts movie star and punchline, all his best performances involve him as a supporting character. Its true in Southland Tales, its true in Be Cool, and its true in The Other Guys not coincidentally, all movies where he doesnt take himself too seriously, either.For his part in all this, Johnson has also said that he wants to get a little more serious about the craft of acting, not just being an action star, and it seems like hes sticking to it. Over the last few months, Johnson has been tied to a few different projects from surprisingly accomplished directors. Hes set to star in The Smashing Machine, a new biopic from Benny Safdie (one half of the pair behind Uncut Gems), as UFC champion Mark Kerr, as well as in a new Hawaii gangster drama from Martin Scorsese where its easy to expect he might get another chance at a supporting part, as Leonardo DiCaprio is also attached.Looking back on his standout performances, its a nice reminder that the biggest parts arent necessarily the most interesting. Johnson is at his best when hes able to shed his serious action star persona and work some of his very real comedy chops into his performances. Heres hoping his new direction in project selection means more of that. And if not, maybe one day hell once again match the highs of The Other Guys.The Other Guys leaves Netflix Friday, Feb. 28.