THE new comedy from the creators of Shaun Of The Dead is a hugely enjoyable romp in the country that handcuffs the loopy plotting of Midsomer Murders to the hysterically overblown action of Lethal Weapon.

While Hot Fuzz certainly isn't as satisfying as its zombified predecessor, Edgar Wright's film has charm and colourful performances in abundance, including the madcap lead pairing of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

There are moments of surreal brilliance, like the off-kilter finale that nods and winks to various Hollywood buddy cop movies.

However, for all of the belly laughs, there are noticeable longueurs too, where jokes fall flat and the narrative treads water before the next set piece.

Police Constable Nicholas Angel (Pegg) is one of the Metropolitan Police's shining lights.

An expert in hand-to-hand combat, armed response and hi-speed pursuit, he is so good at his job, that he makes the rest of the force seem sluggish in comparison.

"The fact of the matter is that you've been making us all look bad,'' says the Chief Inspector (Nighy).

So Nicholas's superiors transfer him to the sleepy West Country backwater of Sandford, where nothing ever happens.

"Statistically, Sandford is the safest village in the country,'' proudly declares Inspector Frank Butterman (Broadbent). "There hasn't been a recorded murder in Sandford for 20 years!'' Assisted by Frank's son, clumsy constable Danny Butterman (Frost), Nicholas begins to acquaint himself with the locals, including slippery supermarket manager Simon Skinner (Dalton), florist Leslie Tiller (Reid) and Reverend Philip Shooter (Freeman).

The new cop in town soon discovers that his new home isn't as idyllic as it appears, and that beneath the surface, Sandford harbours at least one psychopath with an insatiable bloodlust.

Armed to the hilt, Nicholas inspires his colleagues - PC Doris Thatcher (Colman), Sergeant Tony Fisher (Eldon) and DCs Andy Cartwright (Spall) and Andy Wainwright (Considine) - to take pride in their village by donning protective armour and taking down the bad guys.

Hot Fuzz simmers pleasantly, building up the camaraderie between Nicholas and Danny against a backdrop of ridiculously bloody and over-the-top death sequences.

Look out too for an uncredited cameo from an Oscar winner - if you can unmask them!

The residents of Sandford are sketched in the broadest terms for the sake of expediency, like the flirtatious and bubbly PC Thatcher, who always speaks in double entendres ("I quite like a little midnight gobble!''), and Danny, who is obsessed with action films like Lethal Weapon and Bad Boys II.

"Have you fired two guns while jumping through the air?'' he asks his new partner excitedly, imagining Nicholas's old posting in London as non-stop car chases and gunfights.

Inevitably, Danny gets to live out his movie fantasies in the riotous, overblown finale, which sees the two men all but destroy the town to uphold the law.

When the dust settles, we're certainly grinning, but Wright's film falls short of high expectations.