SnoopyStyle Simon Garden (Steve Coogan) is an "annoying" incompetent parole officer. Of his thousand clients, he could only point to three successes; George (Om Puri), Jeff, and Colin. He gets transferred to Manchester. Police Inspector Burton (Stephen Dillane) chases down juvenile car thief Kirsty and recovers drugs. She becomes Simon's case and claims the drugs were planted. He asks out police constable Emma (Lena Headey). At a strip club, he witnesses Burton selling the drugs and murdering his criminal partner. He escapes but leaves behind his wallet. Burton threatens him with a murder frame-up but later, he decides to take on the corrupt hero cop with the help of his clients, and the mysterious Victor (Omar Sharif).Coogan is playing a well-meaning buffoon in a light caper police crime drama. He delivers some good comedy and a couple of outlandish gross-out jokes. Vomiting on the roller-coaster is hilarious. The movie could have staked out that area and made this utterly stupid. Instead, it tries to straddle both gross out stupidity and light caper comedy. It needs to pick how serious to treat the material. As it stands, it struggles to satisfy both high-minded and low-brow comedic tastes.

cosmorados Simon Garden is an annoying Parole Officer who tries to see the best in everyone, fills them with inspirational anecdotes and hope that they'll see the error of her ways, however, as it is hardened criminals he deals with it is about as successful as a Bush Presidency. Forced out by his colleagues at Blackpool he is offered a position in Manchester, but things here go from bad to worse as he witnesses a corrupt cop kill an accountant and is forced out from there as well. As he recalls that the security system in the building will have acted as a second witness to the crime he galvanises the skills of the three men who have gone straight in order to rob the bank that houses the security tape.This is a pretty standard British comedy that is marked out by a number of good gags (the roller coaster scene in particular) and the actual raid itself. The performances in the film are all as good as they can be with Steve Coogan in fine form as the meek Parole Officer trying to be a role model for people who don't want one. The support of Ben Miller, Lena Hedley, Steven Waddinton, Om Puri (He's always good) and Emma Williams are all fine and the cameo at the end of the film is one that is worth waiting for.The script is a simple tale that is made as good as it can be and is kind of a throwback to the great Ealing comedies of the forties and fifties with a more contemporary edge and for the most part it is successful. The only downside for me is that, knowing Manchester the way I do, I know that certain buildings aren't where they appear in this film and that is a bit of an issue, but that said this is still essentially an enjoyable Sunday afternoon film for people who want to see Steve Coogan as something other than support in successful American films.Worth a watch.

derekparry I remember the critics slagging this one when it came out. I find Steve Coogan hit and miss so I thought I'd give it a viewing expecting a miss but was delighted to find out it's one of his better outings. It's a thoroughly entertaining ride from the first moment to the last with good one liners and some excellent visual gags. People have expressed it requires a British sense of humour to appreciate but surely Coogan trying to break out of the bank would gain international laughter.Good performance from Stephen Dillane as a little nauseatingly unlikeable cop. All in all an excellent movie and a lesson not to believe what the critics perceive is good/bad.

Chris Mooney (dhsb58) It is certainly an excellent film and i feel that i wasn't disappointed once while on screen.From start to finish was excellent plot and storyline.Most of the gags are visual "the falling chair" "the roller-coaster".Like Patridge there are many similarities.The talking of his Account number is definitely Alan.I feel its Norman Wisdom/Peter Sellers & partridge rolled into one. What more do you want.The roles of the other characters are also great. "Im a fishmonger" are so funny. You just have to laugh at his misfortune.I also don't know why people don't like this film,i would certainly give it 9.2.I am a Alan partridge fan, but seeing him take on another role (hapless,misfortunate goon) shows another side of coogan.Surely you find the fight scene hilarious with the fan? "That's £20 thats 40 each"