With a collage of wit, action, comedy and horror, Hot Fuzz is a funtastic spoof of a genre known for its over-the-top behavior

Rating: 10/10 (22 April 2007)

The average American knows what an American action film is. It usually consists of throwaway plots, buddy/partner relationships, pointless sex scenes, amazing amounts of profanity, explosions, and more explosions. Of course, it gets dabbed from time to time with humor and some random romance story that has little correlation with the main plot. Of course, not ALL action films fall into this, but most do. It is a genre that has really good films (The Rock, Con Air, Die Hard, Speed, The Rundown), really bad films (Bad Boys II, Lethal Weapon 4, 2 Fast 2 Furious) and then some that are just downright ugly (Beverly Hills Cop 3, Double Team, Biker Boyz, Simon Sez). Now, we have the British creative staff behind the cult classic Shawn of the Dead providing us with their take on the genre that has garnished a lot of money but has established itself with a reputation of being mere mindless popcorn entertainment. What winds up happening is exactly like what happened with Shawn of the Dead: the spoof/satire/homage to the genre its portraying winds up becoming one of the best of its kind, better than most released recently.
Hot Fuzz excels as an action film because of its funny build-up, its quite intriguing story, its ability to stay on track, excellent chemistry amongst the actors, and of course, plenty of gruesome action to sink your teeth into. Carrying the formula that propelled Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz entertains you, throws you off with its plot twists, and then has you on the edge of your seat when the action picks up. It does not contain any romance or pointless sex scenes, but that's instead replaced by a dosage of horror and mystery. The pacing is fast and furious, and refuses to slow down. The references come flying (some obvious, some vague) from all directions, and then it even ends like an action filmso plug in the ears if you don't like a lot of noise.
In this over-the-top spoof, we follow Nicholas Angel, (Simon Pegg) a top-notch police officer that is re-assigned because he is making everyone else look bad. That was pretty much established right from the beginning of the film. Next thing you know, he is in a rather secluded, clean, and seemingly happy town by the name of Sandford. Right from the get go Nicholas seems to be a bit paranoid and creeped-out about the mannerisms of the town, as he tries to teach the dim-witted but reliable partner Danny Butterman (Nick Frost). Angel's suspicious rises as a series of accidents hamper the town. Nonetheless, despite the overwhelming evidence and logic he uses, the rest of the police department isn't convinced.
Following the same choppy-edited quick cuts from Shawn of the Dead, Edgar Wright does a fantastic job keeping the speed of the film fast, while leaving plenty of details, Easter eggs, and hints as to what is going to happen next. Adding to his fantastic direction are the funny visuals that can be seen in the background as the subjects in front of the camera engage in conversation. But even with the hints intact, you still don't know where the story is going, and that is thanks to the writing staff (Pegg, again, and Wrightagain). Hot Fuzz is actually a lot less predictable than Shawn of the Deadits also not as funny, but much more action-oriented.
We have quite a talented staff in Hot Fuzz that extends from the creative staff to the actors. Besides the hilarious and likable Pegg and Frost, we also have Bill Nighy, Timothy Dalton, Paul Freeman, Stuart Wilson, and the Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent. While you may not know these names as well as the major Hollywood actors of today, just know that you won't get the typical stomach-churning acting present in the average action film. Hot Fuzz spends most of the movie building up using comical scenes, moments of suspense and terror; and then blows the doors down in the final moments. With a long, funny, yet satisfying shootout, a grand car chase, a tense final fight, and explosions left and right, the third act more than makes for its lack of gunfire and pyrotechnics in the first two parts of the movie.
Bottom Line: While referencing and giving nods to Die Hard, Point Break, Bad Boys, Lethal Weapon, and other superb action flicks, Hot Fuzz becomes among the better action flicks in recent memory. With a plot that actually works, characters are actually dimensional, and with content that is actually smart, this film is over-the-top, gory, but maintains the quality whether blood is spewing onto the screen or not. It may require multiple viewings to actually catch all the references, but with a film this good, you won't mind. It is funny, gory, and out-of-control. The British team behind Shawn of the Dead does it again; only this time hopefully more Americans will take notice of an emerging quality force across the Atlantic Ocean. Here comes the Fuzz.