Film

Grimsby

Sacha Baron Cohen unleashes his most unhinged persona as a working-class football hooligan paired with a suave MI6 assassin (Mark Strong) to stop a terrorist plot. It's deliberately trashy action-comedy that swings for shock value and physical absurdism. For people who want their spy films loud, crude, and utterly unconcerned with good taste.

TMDb rating3.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like crude, sprawling comedy where a filthy-minded slapstick streak collides with genuinely elaborate action set pieces, and you enjoy a loud, shameless performer who will go to any length for a laugh.

Skip it if you flinch at gross-out humour, relentless profanity and bodily jokes, since the film leans into them without apology and rarely lets up for its brief running time.

What it asks of you: It runs a brisk eighty-odd minutes and never slows to catch its breath, so it wants you ready to go along with extreme, unsubtle gags from the first frame.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Other Guys2010

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg's buddy-cop chemistry carries ridiculous set pieces and non-sequiturs. Sharp enough underneath the chaos to actually land as funny, not just loud.

But Relies heavily on riffing and repetition. If you need plot momentum, the loose structure will frustrate you.

The Other Guys poster

Johnny English2003

Rowan Atkinson's cartoonish spy is exactly the same frequency: bumbling incompetence in a glossy action world. Lean, committed, and genuinely charming where Grimsby reaches for shock.

But Much broader and gentler. If you came for crude shocks, this British family-film energy will feel toothless.

Johnny English poster

Central Intelligence2016

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart as mismatched partners. The chemistry is warm, the action is fun, and it actually cares about its characters underneath the absurdity.

But Played largely straight and sincere. It's a feel-good action-buddy film, not a provocation dressed as comedy.

Central Intelligence poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Grimsby

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Spy Game2001

Both splice crude buddy-cop dynamics with high-stakes spy machinery, but Spy Game proves how much warmth and beauty that combination can hold—the inverse of Grimsby's provocative trashiness.

Robert Redford and Brad Pitt in a slick, joyful action thriller about mentorship and loyalty. Gorgeous cinematography and a genuine emotional core under the globe-trotting adventure. Redford steals every scene.

But Earnest where Grimsby is crude. If you wanted provocation over craft, this suave spy film will feel stiff and dated.

Spy Game poster
More like this (8)

Tropic Thunder2008

Hyperactive action-comedy with a huge cast chewing scenery and commitment to chaos. Finds real human stakes beneath the explosion and RDJ's blackface controversy.

But Dated references and some jokes have aged badly. Uneven pacing in the middle acts.

Tropic Thunder poster

Ride Along2014

Kevin Hart's high-energy enthusiasm bounces off Ice Cube's deadpan in a buddy-cop setup. Light, propulsive, and genuinely warms up by the end.

But Formulaic and forgettable. It's a pleasant time-killer, not something you'll think about after.

Ride Along poster

Pineapple Express2008

Seth Rogen and James Franco as stoners in a surprisingly well-crafted action film. Committed character work inside the absurdity; the action beats actually matter.

But Long stretches of marijuana humour. If you're not with the drug-comedy register, most of the middle drags.

Pineapple Express poster

Get Hard2015

Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart in a premise so stupid it should collapse. Somehow lurches toward actual pathos and lets both actors do real work.

But Offensive in ways it doesn't always earn. The racial material swings wildly between smart and uncomfortable.

Get Hard poster

Hot Fuzz2007

Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's love letter to action clichés in a sleepy English village. Perfectly balanced between affection and satire with crisp, clever directing.

But Moves fast and requires some British genre literacy. If you don't catch the reference layer, it's just a decent cop film.

Hot Fuzz poster

The Hitman's Bodyguard2017

Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson banter over an action kidnap film. Pure chemistry and spectacle with no pretence—occasionally surprisingly smart for something this dumb.

But Utterly forgettable and cynical. You forget it happened while it's still playing.

The Hitman's Bodyguard poster

In Bruges2008

Both use crass, violent men forced into partnership, but In Bruges cares about who they are underneath. It's the serious answer to Grimsby's deliberate stupidity.

Two hitmen hide in a medieval city after a job goes wrong. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson navigate philosophy, guilt, and friendship. Exquisitely written, genuinely moving, and funny in ways that matter.

But Slow, contemplative, melancholic. It's a character study about mortality wrapped in a crime film—nothing like the kinetic chaos you signed up for.

In Bruges poster

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang2005

Both pair a crass, working-class loudmouth with a suave operative in over their head, but Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is written with such intelligence and self-awareness that it makes Grimsby look like a brawl with a typewriter.

Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer in a noir-comedy about amateur detectives in LA. Downey's voiceover narration is hilarious and heartfelt. Brilliantly written, gorgeously shot, genuinely original.

But Chatty and digressive. If you need plot clarity and forward momentum, the tangents and meta-commentary will test your patience.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang poster

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