Icon ****

A SURPRISINGLY successful comic turn from Joseph Fiennes lifts this look at the infamous Darwin Awards to a seriously funny film.

Dished out posthumously to morons who die in ridiculous accidents each year, thus ridding the gene pool of inferior DNA, the awards fascinate our forensic detective protagonist, who sets out on a search with insurance investigator Winona Ryder to discover what drives people to such foolish acts.

Some truly hilarious mishaps befall plenty of great characters, with the best undoubtedly being the hillbilly who meets his doom on the face of a mountain after strapping a jet engine to the rear of his beat-up old car.

Schadenfreude heaven.