Funny but frustrating

Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2007)

First off, Hot Fuzz is a funny film... most of the time. It\\\\\\\'s also a great action film... some of the time. Pegg and Frost are good as the leads, but the show is stolen by sneering villain Timothy Dalton who seems to be really enjoying himself.
The problem with Fuzz is the running time. Instead of thinking about pace and plot, the film was written deliberately to last 2 hours exactly which is risky for a comedy. There are some great gags in Fuzz, but also a lot of empty space, uninspiring characterisation and wasted cameos.
The action is fairly light, consisting of foot chases until... the final shootout which is the most fun I've had in a cinema since... well, Rocky Balboa. But the point is, it's a great sequence that ranks up there with Shaun of the dead.
Hot Fuzz is very much a hit and miss film. It misses an awful lot, but when it hits, it hits you with a shotgun to the head and a spinning kick out the window.
3/5