BIG COPS. SMALL TOWN. MODERATE VIOLENCE.

Super cop Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is so good that he’s making the rest of the Met look bad; he’s transferred to a sleepy village where he stumbles upon a vast murder conspiracy.

The Edgar Wright-Pegg duo followed up on their hit Shaun of the Dead (2004) with another comedy that has solid laughs. It begins with amusing observations of life in small villages and later turns into a remake of The Wicker Man (1973), which is a clever idea.

The film goes on for too long, but who can resist the absurd violence and Timothy Dalton as a nefarious grocery store owner? Pegg is also flawless as the humorless cop.

2007-U.K.-U.S. 120 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Edgar Wright. Screenplay: Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg. Cast: Simon Pegg (Nicholas Angel), Nick Frost (Danny Butterman), Jim Broadbent (Frank Butterman), Paddy Considine, Timothy Dalton, Billie Whitelaw, Edward Woodward, Rafe Spall, Olivia Colman, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Joe Cornish, Stephen Merchant. Cameos: Cate Blanchett, Steve Coogan, Peter Jackson, Edgar Wright.