You can call it crude. You can call it rude and lewd. But you can't call "Observe and Report" a comedy that wimps out.

Writer-director Jody Hill has a knack for creating laughs out of sheer outrageousness. It may make you feel guilty when you laugh at some of the offensive comic devices, but you're laughing nevertheless.

What other movie would depict its hero as a bipolar rent-a-cop with a gun fetish and delusions of grandeur?

Seth Rogen plays Ronnie, the head of security at a shopping mall. Ronnie's a Barney Fife on steroids. He's arrogant, dumb and completely oblivious to the absurdity of his posturings. Ronnie is smitten by Brandi (Anna Faris), the blonde behind the cosmetics counter, but she considers him below her league. That is, until a flasher confronts her in the mall parking lot.

Ronnie sees this as his chance to be a hero and win Brandi's heart. His scheme is threatened when a real cop (Ray Liotta) comes to investigate, so Ronnie confidently informs Brandi that the flasher is out to murder her. That way, Ronnie can act as her protector.

Meanwhile, somebody's robbing the mall, and the detective and Ronnie become sworn enemies as Ronnie continues to intrude on real investigations.

Ronnie's character is part of the movie's warped originality. Most comedies would depict him as a blundering, clueless, big-hearted geek who unaccountably morphs into his complete opposite. Rogen makes Ronnie true to himself. He lives with his alcoholic mother and wants to be a real cop, but he isn't psychologically qualified. Though he might be a geek, Ronnie is definitely not a sissy. He can fight like Jackie Chan and shoot a large-calibre handgun like Dirty Harry. This gives the movie a sense of danger that fits in with its other outrageous qualities.

Meanwhile, Faris as Brandi is a hoot. She reluctantly agrees to a date with Ronnie and proceeds to get hammered -- classic bimbo material.

The movie doesn't always succeed, and it cops out in a minor way when it introduces a sweet girl who falls for Ronnie. But for the most part, it stays true to its twisted mission to offend. It's a dark, anarchic comedy that's not for all tastes.

Be forewarned: There's a mall chase that makes the naked wrestlers of "Borat" seem like something from the Disney studios.