Rating of
3.5/4
This Fuzz's for You
Chris Kavan - wrote on 04/26/07
It seems Edgar Wright has a game plan. In Shaun of the Dead he took the zombie genre and gave it a comedic twist, while still keeping true to the spirit of horror. With Hot Fuzz, he takes the action-packed buddy cop films and does it again. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up once again and it?s a big part of their chemistry together that makes this film work so well.
Top London Cop Nick Angel (Pegg) is so good at his job that his superiors promote him to sergeant ? in a small country village where crime is virtually nonexistent. He is introduced to the most laid-back police force in the country as well as his new partner Danny Butterman (Frost) who spends many nights in the drunk tank ? voluntarily. The crime rate may be low, but he soon finds out the ?accident? rate is quite high. Mixing the best elements of an Agatha Christie mystery and a British comedy ? the pieces start to come together leading to one of the most outrageous, and quite refreshing, gun fights in recent history.
It helps that the cast reads like a list of British stage and screen royalty including Bill Nighy, Billie Whitelaw, Eric Mason, Jim Broadbent, Stuart Wilson, Paul Freeman and Kevin Eldon. Especially fun to watch is Timothy Dalton, who looks like he?s having a great time as a grocery store manager with an agenda.
Even with this amazing cast, it?s still Pegg and Frost who carry the film. The characters evolve with the uptight Angel loosening up while Butterman becomes more than just a bumbling drunk. It?s nice to know that amidst the comedy and gun fights character development isn?t thrown out the window.
Wright doesn?t shy away from violence, either. There are some pretty gruesome death scenes. This may be enough to turn a few stomachs if you?re not prepared for it. Also cropping up are the editing cuts familiar to Shaun of the Dead ? a unique style that?s often played for laughs. Some people may find it distracting, but you get used to it.
If there?s a detraction for Hot Fuzz, it?s the length. At just over two hours, it could have cut about 15 minutes and still worked. Still, watching the last 20 minutes is worth the price of admission ? even if it takes longer to get there then it rightfully should.
No genre is safe. If Wright, Penn and Frost continue on this path, I?m interested to see what they plan to tackle next.
