Gross-out humour, R-rated jokes rule the day

SACHA Baron Cohen delights in being crude and offensive by disappearing deep into character - invariably some mule-headed imbecile who exists to get under our own skins. He did it to notable effect with characters like Ali G, Borat and Bruno, and he's done it again in his new film The Brothers Grimsby with Nobby Butcher, a football hooligan from a grim northern town with a haircut that makes him look like a cross between Noel Gallagher and Spike, the clueless flatmate (played by Rhys Ifans) in Notting Hill (1999) who was described by Hugh Grant's character as "the stupidest person in the world, only doubled".

Nobby wears his sideburns and his England team shirt with great pride. Apart from his family - 11 shaved-head kids with names like Django Unchained and Gangnam Style and a like-minded girlfriend (Rebel Wilson) - he loves nothing more than swigging beers and watching football games with his fellow yobs.

The only thing missing from Nobby's life is his younger brother Sebastian (Mark Strong), who was separated from him 28 years ago and adopted by an upper-class couple. A series of flashbacks provides the brothers' grim backstory. The younger Butcher, as it happens, now has a posh accent and a job as a secret agent for MI6 - it's an occupation that puts them on opposite ends of the socio-intellectual spectrum.