"Everybody must get stoned," Bob Dylan once wheezed in a song. He neglected to add: "Unless you're being chased by two badass cops with itchy trigger fingers and a pissed off dope dealer in a neckbrace."

Maybe the line didn't fit. Maybe he's not big on public service announcements. Had Dylan actually given a damn, he'd have spared Dale Denton and Saul Silver a whole lot of trouble — but robbed us of a classic stoner action-comedy. Lighting up more giggles than a joint — and without causing the munchies — 'Pineapple Express' takes the genre to a new — or at least different — high, just by throwing two potheads into your average chase film.

Dale, who serves subpoenas for a living, and his dealer Saul are two garden variety slackers. They can barely climb the stairs without puffing for breath, let alone outrun a car. They can't leap between tall buildings. They haven't had stunt driving lessons or spent weeks at the shooting range. They don't know Eskrima — or any other Filipino Martial Arts emphasising stick and sword fighting for that matter. They're not Jason Bourne, James Bond, or whatever the names are of those interchangeable indestructible heroes played by Jason Statham.

So when Dale witnesses a murder, he does what you or I would — panic like hell. When he and Saul come up with a plan to outwit the corrupt police officers behind the hit, it doesn't quite rival the con in 'Ocean's 11'. And when the odd couple find themselves cornered, the results aren't as well choreographed as 'WWE Raw' — think a drunk bull in a tiny china shop and you've got the most outrageous fight sequence ever committed to film. Yes, a frantic Seth Rogen (Dale) and a superbly spaced-out James Franco (Saul) outdo even Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill.

Even when they're not trying to do stunts for comic effect, the duo's performances crackle and glow — witness the near-religious lighting of a cross-spliff — as they inhale the witty dialogue by Rogen and his 'Superbad' partner Evan Goldberg. But even though the craziness keeps coming — dope dealing to school kids; toilet seats as lethal weapons — the buzz slowly wears off.

The good news? 'Pineapple Express' does flare up again for a whacked out finale — guns! torture! shootouts! explosions! Daewoo!

Don't be scared to inhale.