Hot Fuzz

Co-written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, directed by Wright, and starring Pegg, this is one of the funniest movies I've seen. I compare it to the "Hot Shots" movies by Abrahms and Proft. Part slasher flick, part buddy movie, part action picture, this film keeps me laughing all the way through every time I see it.

Pegg plays Sergeant Angel, a hot-shot cop that no one can stand. He's in a big city, and his boss sends him to a small, rural village just to get rid of him, hoping Angel will resign out of boredom. However, Angel discovers a crime ring in the small town. The supporting cast is great: Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall as detectives Wainwright and Cartwright -- or is it the other way around? The Equalizer's Edward Woodward,

One of my favorite scenes shows Sergeant Angel doing research to discover the murderer. It's played the same as all those Schwarzenegger movies where Arnie's character is suiting up for the assault, jamming knifes in sheaths, shoving ammo magazines in assault rifles, jerking harness tight -- while Angel is photocopying newspapers, highlighting words, circling errors with dramatic music adding tension and excitement!

The movie bears repeated watching, as you get more of the jokes when you pay more attention than the dialogue warrants at first watch. The movie includes every action movie cliche that you can remember. It's incredibly well-written, and Pegg nails the role. I think Wright and Pegg really hit their stride here.