Bring on the noise... it's the Fuzz

Rating: 9/10 (19 February 2007)

In 2004, Hollywood unknowns Nick Frost, Simon Pegg and Ed Wright burst onto the scene with Shaun of the Dead, which despite being more or less a one-joke film stretched over 90-odd minutes (admit it!), was a critical success and a minor box-office one. Now, armed with a bigger budget, bigger cast and a huge lot of pressure in following up their hit is Hot Fuzz, which tries to do for the Met Police what Hollywood Actioners do for the LAPD etc. So, the big question on everyone's lips was, how do you follow up a film like Shaun of the Dead? Answer, with a film like Hot Fuzz, because, no ifs or buts, Hot Fuzz is the most refreshing and stylish British movie of recent years.
Simon Pegg is Sgt. Nicholas Angel, a police officer who is freakishly good at his job. When his chief Inspector, played by Bill Nighy sends him away to a remote village in the rural countryside for making the rest of the force 'look bad, Angel arrives with little enthusiasm, and expects to be bored out of his skull. Paired with the witless but lovable movie-buff PC Danny Butterman, and the most cynical yet clueless police force imaginable, Angel's job takes a turn for the bizarre when a series of bizarre accidents lead him to believe that there is a masked murderer on the loose... but why is everyone in the village quick to blast his theory?
As you would expect from the writer and director of Spaced, Ed Wright creates a very bizarre setting for his two leads, Pegg and Frost, to act out in. The village of Sanford is just a little too perfect, and all the residents, including a standout Timothy Dalton as a slimy Supermarket owner, fit the bill as creepy villagers who are obviously hiding a dark secret. Simon Pegg is convincing as Nicholas Angel, the "perfect" cop who is practically idolised by Frost's Butterman, who clearly yearns for the chance to, in his words, "jump through the air while shooting with a gun in each hand". The film is edited in a tricksy-Hollywood style, which is overloaded in the first half on the film, before becoming more acceptable. The action is frantic and highly credible considering the clumsily handled zombie raids of Shaun by the same director, and the $7 million budget is wisely spent, with well-choreographed shootouts and even the odd explosion. Humourwise, it is on par with Shaun, and I guarantee that you will need the Hiemlich manoeuvre to wretch out the popcorn when Angel fly-kicks an elderly woman in the face.
Saying that however, Ed Wright is no Michael Bay, and the one car chase of the movie is short lived and looks like something directly out of "The Bill", save for great comic timing from... a swan. For an action film, the shootout is relatively blood-less, almost all of the film's gore coming from the surprisingly graphic murder scenes and an injury sustained in the film's (anti)-climax, although even it is handled in a comic way.... which is the film's other low point. The film just can't take itself seriously enough to handle some of the darker moments. Although there are times when Pegg and Frost really consider themselves action stars, some of the shootouts could have been improved had Wright decided to inject a little more seriousness in them. Save for a brief scene at the end, you never once doubt that the pair will survive. But these are minor niggles in an other-wise hilarious movie. If Ed Wright can make the Met Police look this cool, then there's really no stopping him.
Verdict: Matching Shaun of the Dead in humour and enjoyment, this is funny, action-packed and the most enjoyable cinematic outing so far this year. 4.5/5