What writer-director Edgar Wright and his Monty Python-esque cohorts, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, did with zombie films a few years ago, they do again with buddy-cop action flicks in "Hot Fuzz" — and if there is any film genre more deserving of being satirized, it's this one. Even after the success of the horror film parody "Shaun of the Dead," and after their trailer was one of the highlights of Quentin Tarantino's "Grindhouse," the hilarious trio showed they still have plenty of creativity left in them with "Hot Fuzz." While most spoofs are just a series of gags strung together with a meager plot, "Hot Fuzz" tells an actual story, even if it echoes that of the original, "The Wicker Man." In the film, Pegg plays London police officer Nicholas Angel — a name that truly screams action movie. Angel is the best officer there is; he graduated at the top of his class and his arrest record is 400 percent better than that of his colleagues. He's so good that he's making the entire force look bad. After all of his hard work and success, Angel is promoted to sergeant, but there is a catch. With his new position, he is relocated against his wishes to the sleepy little village of Sandford, a town inhabited by the quintessential cast of eccentric country folk. Soon after his arrival, Angel is teamed with the bumbling but loveable Danny Butterman (Frost), a man-child obsessed with high-octane action films from America, particularly "Point Break" and "Bad Boys II." Danny is thrilled to work with a big city cop, as this might give him the opportunity to realize his dream of car chases and shooting guns while flying through the air. Angel quickly becomes frustrated with small-town life due to the lack of challenges and his partner's ineptness. The only criminals the town has to offer are a loose swan and a mumbling coot who trimmed his neighbor's hedges. As you might expect, however, everything is not as it seems, and behind the friendly smiles and charming exterior of the town lies a sinister force. Once a series of grisly deaths, which everyone writes off as accidents, starts to occur, Angel springs into action to find the culprit. All this ends in a hyper-violent village shootout that would make Michael Bay jealous. The mystery is predictable and overdramatic, but aren't all action films that way? "Hot Fuzz" perfectly turns these clichés of action films to its own advantage, and in the process, it blurs the line between homage and spoof. Plus, the use of some great dry, British wit and deadpan acting keeps the parodies from becoming mind-numbingly dumb. Just as in "Shaun of the Dead," writers Wright and Pegg derive most of their jokes by referencing other films. Everything from Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" (which gets a hilarious restaging here) to "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" is mentioned. While you don't have to be a fanboy or have seen many of the films to which they allude in order to enjoy the film, it certainly elevates the humor to understand the references. "Hot Fuzz" is essentially a film made by geeks for geeks. "Hot Fuzz" packs its cast full of veteran British actors and actresses — from Jim Broadbent, who plays the jolly head officer of the Sandford Department, to Timothy Dalton, perfectly cast as the unsettling and slimy local market owner. Cate Blanchett even pops up in one scene as Angel's unhappy ex-girlfriend, and "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson also makes a cameo as a knife-wielding Santa. As great as all the actors in the film are, they all pale in comparison to the incredible comedic duo of Pegg and Frost. The two easily play off each other, providing for wonderful comedic timing. Plus, their great chemistry allows them to bring their characters to life, portrayals that become the heart of the film. Clocking in at two hours and one minute, "Hot Fuzz" starts to lag in many spots toward the end, especially with its several endings. A good 30 minutes could have easily been shaved off, and the film would have still retained the same effect — just in a slightly more compact size. Despite how funny the film is and the great success it has had in England, "Hot Fuzz" will have a hard time in the states outside of college campuses and big cities, since this brand of dry British humor is lost on most Americans. Plus, in light of Virginia Tech, most people will be put off by the bullets and blood, but this part of the film couldn't be more appropriate: "Hot Fuzz" makes us look at our culture's love for guns and how we export it all over the world. Cultural issues aside, however, "Hot Fuzz" features wildly amusing and laugh-out-loud humor, creating a smart, hip film that will leave you thinking, "If only more comedies were this great … " Grade: 4 out of 5