Filmed in rich monochrome, with a clever flashback structure based around interviews with characters who knew the comedian, Lenny is more than the life story of a wild and crazy guy.

It is a film about censorship and shifting values, as what got the comedian repeatedly arrested for obscenity can now be shown at 8 or 9pm.

Indeed, in this country for years the film was a cert 18, but recently has been downgraded to a 15.

Lenny Bruce was not a gag man, but, like Bill Hicks, a razor sharp observer of absurdity who used wit as a weapon, and the film recreates the performance when, banned from uttering any swear words on stage, he uses "blah blah" instead to create something even more filthy.

Bruce succumbed to an early death due to the stress of mounting lawsuits and a fierce drug addiction, but this film is a fine tribute to his clever, explosive humour.

Rob Daniel