Very enjoyable action comedy

Rating: 8/10 (12 August 2007)

Well, the guys that made Shaun of the Dead did it again with this film. It's not exactly a spoof, but I'd say it's a comic homage/parody to the buddy action genre, much like how Shaun was a comic homage/parody to the zombie genre. And they really studied their source material because the movie references are all over the place.
That makes this an excellent film for people who love movies because if you watch it carefully, it's hard for five minutes to go by without you seeing something relating to another film. Of course, most prominently featured are the two films, Bad Boys II and Point Break. Nonetheless, having seen Bad Boys II once, I could catch bunch of the references, including some shots that are lifted directly out of the film and redone with the crew of Hot Fuzz. Dozens of other movies and television shows are also referenced, but I'm not going to list them all.
Of course, all this referencing isn't always a plus. The Michael Bay-style overflashy montage and editing used early in the film, I feel, really distracts and detracts from the story early on and it doesn't seem to be justified or meaningful. I level this critique against Shaun of the Dead as well as both of these films suffer from out-of-place editing sequences where the movie doesn't require it. It left me searching for meaning that wasn't there.
The film also takes a while to build up. There's a lot of time spend getting to know the characters and the town before things actually go crazy. And it's a little funny and it's cute, but for a little while, I was left wondering why I was watching what I was watching. On the other hand, once the film goes into crazy mode, it takes everything to a whole new level. I've never seen so much combat and gunplay with so many older people before. Some of the moments were laugh out loud and others were just amusing, but the action goes from crazy to crazier and it's all very fun to watch. Because of the way it's written, it doesn't require the same suspension of disbelief that Bad Boys II fails to capture and so it ends up being quite enthralling.
However, despite the wonderful parodying and the enjoyable action-comedy, there's something lacking in this film, and I think it's a matter of heart. The characters do develop and grow and we see glimpses of the same heart that we saw in its predecessor, but it's all been glossed and the film, I think concentrates a little too much on the parody, the action and the comedy and just a tad too little on the relationship between Nick and Danny. That's not to say it's not believable that they are friends, but it's just not the core of the film. I think that's what made Shaun very strong, on top of the comedy and homage. Hot Fuzz doesn't center in on it, more centering on the action and the homage than the buddy and loses a little because of it.
Nonetheless, it's highly enjoyable, especially for movie lovers and I still recommend it as a high mark in buddy action comedies, even as a parody. 8/10.