By Tim McGroarty

Hot Fuzz marks the long awaited return of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s partnership to the big screen. The two may have left themselves a hard act to follow with Shaun of the Dead, but Hot Fuzz easily achieves expectations and possibly even exceeds its predecessor.

Where Shaun of the Dead drew its inspiration primarily from zombie films, Hot Fuzz tackles the ever-present clichés of the buddy cop action genre. The film follows Nicholas Angel, a cop superior to all others, with an arrest record 400% higher than anyone else on the force. He is so good in fact, his department decides to send him away as to not to make the rest of the team look bad.

Angel is transferred to the small village of Sandford, where there has not been a case of murder in twenty years. Suffice to say, he does not adjust well, always on the lookout for crime while the rest of the police force spends their time inside eating cake. He also finds himself with a partner, over-eager constable Danny Butterman (Nick Frost). Danny is obsessed with action films and believes that Angel is his chance to live out his dreams of car chases and gunfights.

The first half of the movie plays out a little more like Scream, with a crazed killer disposing of people in the town and attempting poorly to make it all seem like an accident. Angel is the only one to catch on, while his fellow officers prefer to say that the murders are what they look like and stay inside.

But just wait, those spoofs are coming, and when they it may be hard to stop laughing. Not until the third act does the film turn in to all out, over the top action film, spoofing such films as Point Break and Bad Boys II as the killer’s identity is revealed and the village turns into a gun show.

This film works both as an out-and-out comedy and a high paced action film, and also manages to showcase the directing talents of Wright and the acting of Pegg (who can actually act). The first half is a gentle build up but is generally and genuinely amusing, and once we put the pedal to the floor for the second half the pace is relentless. It’s a shame that the action doesn’t kick into high gear until so late. Shaun of the Dead is a tough act to follow, but Hot Fuzz is a definite fun success.

GRADE: B+