Movie Review: “Hot Fuzz”
12 Mar
Looking back the past few years, it’s hard not to recognize that 2007 was an amazing year for caliber films spanning from all genres. One film in particular that was released in 2007, which was highly successful critically and financially, was Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz. The film brings back the British comedic duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Hot Fuzz is considered the second film in the “Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy” with Shaun of the Dead being the first film and the upcoming The World’s End being the final film in the trilogy.
Hot Fuzz is about a top London police officer named Nicholas Angel (played by Simon Pegg) who is so extremely dedicated to his job that he makes his fellow officers look like slackers by comparison. Since he makes his fellow officers look bad, he receives a promotion and gets transferred outside of London to serve in the small village called Sandford. As Angel does his best to adjust to his new mundane environment, his new partner Danny Butterman (played by Nick Frost) strives to gain the respect of his fellow colleagues while sustaining himself on fantasies of his favorite action films. Just as it begins to appear as if Nicholas Angel has been trapped in an uneventful existence in the countryside, a number of horrific “accidents” lead him to suspect that all is not quiet in Sandford.
Hot Fuzz is a perfect example of having the right chemistry between the characters. For example, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have a long history of working together prior to this film and you can feel the positive chemistry between them because of their long history. Just watching the two interact with each other and reading each other’s body language truly enhances what’s happening in the scene. The supporting cast is top-notch as well and provides an ample amount of humor. It was also nice to see Peter Jackson and Cate Blanchett in small cameo roles near the beginning of the film.
Edgar Wright does a terrific job directing and clearly shows that he knows what he’s doing unlike some other comedic directors. One example of his talent is how he captures Nicholas Angel doing the booking process. Obviously it’s not the most appealing thing to capture, but he is able to do many film techniques like quick cuts and zoom-ins to make it look extremely intense which then makes the whole situation humorous. Since Hot Fuzz is homage to action films, Edgar Wright successfully uses the most common clichés that are in action films with a certain twist to make it comedic.
By the end of the film you can’t help, but laugh at the grand scale of insanity that Hot Fuzz provides. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend that you see it as soon as possible.
Tags: Dan Dreher, Edgar Wright, Hot Fuzz, March 2010, Movie Review, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg
Nothing gets me laughing harder than the priest being shot then yelling, “Jesus Christ!”
By far this is one of my favorite comedies of the last decade and the beauty is it gets funnier every viewing.
Great review DB.
I own this movie! Reading your review makes me want to re-watch it. You’re right, Pegg/Frost combo never gets old, they’re gonna be together again in an alien comedy ‘Paul’ – I can’t watch to see the trailer for that. Btw, you didn’t mention the great supporting cast. Timothy Dalton was fantastic as the sinister Simon Skinner, as well as Bill Nighy and Paddy Considine. Even Cate Blanchett has an uncredited cameo as Pegg’s girlfriend. I love how this movie kind of gives an homage to AND spoof the American action flicks at the same time: Point Break or Bad Boys II?
An all-around brilliant British comedy!
I can’t wait to see Pegg/Frost in their upcoming Paul. But HF and Shaun are just brilliant examples of how great their comedic timing is. Like a British Candy and Hanks.
“Have you ever fired two guns whilst jumping through the air?”
This is amazing indeed!
I love how it works as semi-parody but also is a worthy entry into the genre it pokes fun at.
Pegg should be a huge movie star by now!
This movie alone is the only thing that gives me hope for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.
I agree Jose…how is Simon Pegg not a massive star at this point?