Action has never been so much fun

Rating: 9/10 (7 April 2018)

'Hot Fuzz' is one of those - rarest of - films which not only spans numerous genres, but is also enjoyable to many different demographics. It's easy to say that 'action' films are a 'male dominated' niche and 'Hot Fuzz' certainly has plenty of action contained within. In fact... it may ever have more shoot-outs and set-pieces than your average straight-to-DVD B-movie with an once well-known muscled leading man at the helm. However, why 'Hot Fuzz' succeeds on so many levels is because you don't have to be a fan of action movies to appreciate it, largely because of its humour. Yes, it's also a comedy. And a 'buddy-cop' film. And has large moments of character development and, dare I say drama as well.
Because of this, I can see it almost appealing to any adult of any age. I won't say 'fun for all the family' as, because of its 'adult language' it probably wouldn't be suitable for youngsters. However, if you don't mind the odd swear word, then join London's best police officer (Simon Pegg) who is, in fact, so good at his job that his superiors decide to transfer him to a sleepy little country town because he's making all the other officers look bad by catching too many criminals.
Naturally, the move makes him a little uncomfortable, being used to dealing with drug dealers and murderers and now forced to - effectively - rescue cats from tall trees. However, the local 'bobby' (Nick Frost) is on hand to 'acclimatise' him to his new life. But, as fate would have it, this idyllic little town soon shows it's hiding some dark secrets which need the pair to investigate.
I'm not going to go into the plot any further as it's a film that you really do need to see to enjoy. The village is also home to plenty of colourful characters, all of which add to the story and bring their best performances to the table. You may have also seen the Pegg/Frost collaborations 'Shaun of the Dead, The World's End' and 'Paul,' so you'll probably know the type of film you're going to get here - a genuinely funny film which lovingly pokes fun at a genre the film-makers clearly hold in high regard