Chris-448

This is probably one of the funniest TV shows ever made. Trigger Happy TV, fronted by the irrepressible Dom Joly, is a programme based loosely on Candid Camera. The show is a series of sketches that focus on those little irritating things in life (mobile phones, fishermen, traffic wardens) by blowing them out of all proportion. Trigger Happy is so irreverent, so insanely unique, that you're absolutely guaranteed to laugh. What's more, the whole thing is wrapped up by a delightful "sad-rock" soundtrack which, unlike canned laughter, makes you just laugh even harder. Look out for the park-bench secret agent, the educated punk, and the door-to-door Grim Reaper in particular! Fantastic.

The Weakest Link oddly manages to be successful despite the fact that it is a decidedly low-budget, daytime TV quiz show. There is in-built cut-throat competition between the contestants that often results in amusing bust-ups or vain egotism, and, like "Millionaire," there is a good feel of at-home playability. The only downside is the jackpot, which, at a measly £10,000, makes you wonder what all the fuss is about. In reality, the only reason why this is not just another run-of-the-mill boring game show is Anne Robinson, the presenter. She is so cruel towards the contestants that she was recently named the Meanest Person on British TV; her cutting, demoralising comments once brought a contestant to tears. Her catchphrase, which she utters whenever the weakest link (ie: the worst contestant) is voted off the show, should go down in the annals of gameshow history: "You are the weakest link. Goodbye."

Quite how this movie will fare internationally is uncertain, especially because many of its most prosperous jokes rely heavily on the more absurd pronounciations of cockney slang and incomprehensible drawl. But having overcome these minor problems, as well as the traditional stereotyping of the cockneys, Irish and Americans (among others), the film is wholly enjoyable.

Most impressive for a relatively low-budget movie such as this were the camera effects and the soundtrack. Director Guy Ritchie is such a master of the former that some of his more contrived camera angles and movements were alone enough to invoke laughter. Many of the jokes are in fact derived from the excellent script, which was in part written by Ritchie himself, although some of the humour originates from the brilliant acting.

There will of course be some who complain that "Snatch" degrades cinema, inciting audiences to laugh at violence. But it is only because the movie is so involving and evocative that the audience feels morally secure enough to cheer on, and laugh with, the gangsters on screen. The most promising thing about this film is that Guy Ritchie has proved himself to be a more than capable director, and not just a one-hit wonder (his previous movie, "Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998)," was also critically acclaimed).

The US has always been quite reluctant in its uptake of foreign movies, especially those as alien as "Snatch." But this movie is so funny, and its plot is so clever, that it is well worth seeing, even if you are American. I'd pay $10 to see this any day. 9 out of 10.