By Brandon Nolta

As the gents of AC/DC say, “It’s a long way to the top,” and nobody knows that better than PC Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) of London’s Metropolitan Police Service. He’s worked hard all his life to uphold the law and bust the bad guys, and as a result, his stats are way the hell out in front of everybody else on the force. As his “reward,” Angel gets a promotion to sergeant, which comes with a surprise: relocation to Sandford, a picturesque, aka deadly dull, village in the middle of nowhere.

When Angel arrives, however, he finds that while the crime rate is low, the accident and disappearance rates are astronomically high. With his new partner in crime prevention, PC Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), Angel decides it’s time to dig a little, despite the gentle warnings of his boss (Jim Broadbent) and the derision of everybody else in the department.

That is the plot of HOT FUZZ, now out on DVD for fans of English comedy and American action to enjoy. While the plot is invaluable to a review, it doesn’t get across what a hoot this movie is, because it’s damn funny. Even a casual movie watcher can recognize the love and enjoyment of big, loud action flicks writers Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg squeeze into every frame of this film, especially those of the master, Michael Bay.

What’s better, everything is filtered through the warped, peculiarly English sensibilities of the same nutjobs who unleashed SHAUN OF THE DEAD on the world a few years ago, which makes them the creators of the best romantic comedy with flesh-eating corpses ever made. HOT FUZZ is part spoof and part homage to the blow-‘em-up-good genre of action film, and manages to give us a fair dose of gunfire and mayhem in the process.

But, there’s more to this film than just action. Ever wondered what a swan on the loose in an English village might do? Wonder no longer; this film has the answer. Perhaps you’ve contemplated the best way to completely eviscerate a building made of good solid brick in one fell swoop? That ponderous conundrum is also answered here. Hey, want to know what a guy getting squished by a stone cornice looks like? It’s all here, and to boot, virtually every English actor not on one of the HARRY POTTER sets (and at least one who is; David Bradley, who plays Hogwarts caretaker Mr. Filch, makes a brief appearance).

One caveat: HOT FUZZ is surprisingly bloody for a comedy with action in it. They don’t stint on the blood, and there are one or two scenes that are very shocking for what they contain. Nothing as outright gory as when that geeky dude got ripped up in SHAUN OF THE DEAD, mind you, but my viewing partner jumped a couple of times, and she’s used to violent nasty bits in her movies.

Anyway, if you can put aside the outright silliness of the events (a must for comedy, anyway) and the occasional shocking levels of blood, HOT FUZZ is the kind of movie you invite a boatload of friends over and have a party while watching. The action is pretty good, the jokes (subtle and otherwise) keep a-comin’, and there are even a few cameos here and there. Keep your eyes peeled, ‘cause there’s always something going on.