Highly Enjoyable

Rating: 9/10 (20 November 2007)

Released in 2007, Hot Fuzz is written by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, the same men who brought you Shaun of the Dead in 2004. The same director also directs it: Edgar Wright, and it headlines the same actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. I was a little unsure of this film at first until I looked at the credits, and after seeing it in the theaters I am an avid fan. The film focuses on Nicholas Angel (Pegg), an overachieving police constable in London who is sent to a country post because he is outperforming all of his other officers. Upon arriving in the sleepy town of Sandford strange accidents start happening and Angel is the sole person believing something more sinister may be going on. Paired with the slightly dopey and often-hilarious police constable Danny Butterman (Frost), who is coincidentally the son of the local Inspector; Angel must perform his duties while trying to stay sane in a town where it seems everyone is mad but him.
This film is one of the best comedies I have seen in years. It is smart and quick witted, always keeping me on the edge of my feet. Much of the comedy is dry 'British" humor so if that's not something you enjoy you might not be that thrilled with this movie until the second half. However if that is something you do enjoy, this film is certainly not lacking in it in any way. In addition to the humor, it does have its fair share of action and gore, much like Shaun of the Dead. For those of you who don't like gore, have no fear because it is all done in a humorous context. Hot Fuzz also has a lot of references to other films such as Bad Boys II and Point Break, so it might be a good idea to see those before you see this movie.
This is an excellently written movie with some great action sequences. Definitely check out the Trivia section on the IMDb page for some extra goodies to look out for. Also, keep your eye out for a couple of cameos in the movie (they're hard to spot). Ironically, I own the DVD and last week is the first time I noticed all of the bonus features, which are definitely worth checking out. Two features in particular are: Danny's Notebook- The Other Side, and Outtakes. Who ever was in charge of the notebook is very skilled with a pen and had a lot of time on their hands. The Outtakes section had me doubled over laughing, both from the obscenity of some of the scenes and seeing how much fun everyone had making the movie. So if you love comedy, violence and action, and gore you should not just see this movie but buy the DVD so you can enjoy the twisted minds of Wright and Pegg over and over again.