Torrente, le bras gauche de la loi

Jaw-droppingly hilarious from beginning to end, the brilliant Santiago Segura delivers one of the funniest films ever made about an unbelievably likable racist, homophobic, misogynistic, gloriously non-PC, ex-cop.

You really have to see it to truly appreciate its unique sense of lusty invention and bravura staging.

Segura's Torrente is a filthy, fat bastard who partners with an insufferable nerd to crack a drug smuggling operation. But the plot merely provides Segura with a framework for his non-stop barrage of brilliant gags and set pieces.

Torrente's attempt to seduce his nerd partner's slutty sister is hilarious, as are Torrente's off-the-cuff comments about all women wanting it up the rear and his lecture on how washing your hands before you take a leak shows greater respect for your penis.

There are so many gems in this movie it's impossible to catalog them all. Another corker, which occurs near the film's climax, has the kidnapped slut sister dropping to her knees to enthusiastically fellate her captor. When the nerd expresses concern that his sister is being "forced" to have oral sex, Torrente quips: "I don't think she's being forced too hard."

The sequel, while still very funny, doesn't have the rough, crude edge of the original.

Sublime!