Dir: Edgar Wright
Rating: ***** out of 5 stars
Hot Fuzz was probably my most anticipated film of 2007. I nearly shat myself when I heard it was green-lighted, so you can imagine my excitement over actually seeing the final film. With Edgar, Simon, and Nick in attendence, no less!
Well, I wasn't disappointed - this film is frickin hilarious. It's not quite on par with Shaun of the Dead (one of the greatest films ever made) but it's pretty damn great. The Brits have delivered a spot-on parody of American action movies.
When hot-shot police constable Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) starts making his fellow London officers look bad, he gets transferred to Stanford, a quiet town in the English countryside. Once there, he finds an inept police force who aren't accustomed to any real crime. That is, until a mysterious killer starts offing local residents. While the rest of Stanford shrugs the incidents off as accidents, Nicholas and a local constable (Nick Frost) hunt down the killer and uncover some dark secrets along the way.
Needless to say, Pegg and Frost have great chemistry together. Pegg, truly an underrated actor, can be so damn funny and then completely nail the emotional scenes. Another actor who cracked me up in this was Paddy Considine. I just love that man. He accompanies a fantastic cast that includes Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, and Timothy Dalton. And if you watch carefully, you might catch the cleverly-hidden cameos by Cate Blanchett and Peter Jackson.
If you are a fan of action films like Bad Boys or Point Break, you will especially love Hot Fuzz. It is not a direct spoof of those films, but it playfully pays homage to the genre. As Edgar Wright said, "There is a good reason action films aren't made in England." That is the whole joke behind the movie - injecting stereotypical American action into a small British town has some hilarious results.
And last but not least....Edgar Wright is goddamn genius. His directing style is bold and unique as with Shaun/Spaced/etc. and also mocks Tony Scott-esque flashiness. He purposefully uses quick-cutting and loud music during the most mundance sequences (ie, paperwork). I still notice new jokes everytime I watch this movie. I love love love Edgar Wright.
You needn't be a fan of action or Shaun to appreciate Fuzz. It is funny no matter what. But the fans with high hopes for this movie will not be disappointed. Do yourself a favor and go see this movie a couple times.
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