Funny and exciting police action!

Rating: 8/10 (2 December 2012)

PC Nicolas Angel is the Met's most successful police officer so it isn't surprising that he gets a promotion; however he would rather that it didn't mean a transfer as well. His superiors and colleagues, worried that he is making them look bad, have him transferred to the Gloucestershire market town of Sandford; the town with the lowest reported crime rate in England. When he gets there he quickly learns that something isn't quite right; the pub is full of under-aged drinkers and the man he arrests for drunk driving turns out to be his new partner PC Danny Butterman. Most of his fellow officers resent having somebody sent in from London as they think he will just try to show them how to do their jobs and Danny just wants to know what sort of action Nick has seen. He hasn't been there long when two people are found decapitated on the road into town; everybody seems to think it is a tragic accident but Sgt. Angel isn't so sure; as further 'accidents' occur he becomes convinced that there is a murderer on the loose... is he just paranoid or is there something rotten in this sleepy market town?
Having enjoyed 'Shaun of the Dead' I was keen to see what Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and director Edgar Wright would come up with next... while I don't think this is quite as good it still has plenty of laughs; including some genuine laugh out loud moments; who couldn't laugh at the sight of a shotgun wielding granny being kicked in the face?! The story nicely combines the typical English country mystery anybody who watches 'Midsomer Murders' will be used to with the action of an American action cop movie; spoofing both genres as it does so. The action is deliberately over the top as it references a variety of well known films; if you don't get all the references it doesn't matter as most of the scenes are funny anyway. The cast does a fine job and is packed with well known British actors including Edward Woodward and Timothy Dalton; the latter is particularly entertaining as the slimy supermarket manager Angel initially suspects of being the killer. While this is a comedy first and foremost there are a few wince inducing moments when we see a few fairly horrific injuries; this and the frequent swearing make it unsuitable for younger viewers but older viewers who want a good laugh should enjoy it.