Best comedy of 2007

Rating: 10/10 (30 April 2007)

Edgar Wright, whose previous efforts include the beloved Shaun of the Dead, and the amazing Grindhouse trailer called Don't, manages to impress yet again in his latest film, Hot Fuzz. Also returning from Shaun of the Dead are Simon Pegg as co-writer and star and Nick Frost as the co-star in a loving, British homage to American action and buddy cop films. Nick Angel (Pegg) is the best police officer in London. Yet he's so great, that he makes everyone else (including his higher authorities) look inferior in comparison. He is then "promoted" to work in the small town of Sandford, where the crime rate is miniscule but the "accident" rate is soaring. As he realizes that the town is much more dangerous than it seems (intentional action cliché), he ends up befriending the Chief's son, Danny (Nick Frost), an inept police officer who wishes his life was more like the cops in Bad Boys II.
For the most part, after British directors have a hit, they head straight off to Hollywood to make their next movie. However, after the cult success that was Shaun of the Dead, Wright stayed in England, and Hot Fuzz is as British a film as they come. The humor is truly more universal than anything like Monty Python or Alan Partridge, which some may love and others simply do not get.
What makes Hot Fuzz so enjoyable is how much fun the filmmakers and actors are having on screen. Countless name drops and references to other movies are present, be it in the dialogue, the lighting or just a particular memorable shot. Action films that the main characters are shown viewing are intentionally spoofed later on in the film. In addition , there are dozens of references to movies that are presumably favorites of the writers. Young audiences might not catch such references to films like Chinatown, The Shining, and Lethal Weapon, and many more, yet the filmmakers implemented these allusions so that if these devices are unnoticed, the plot will not be affected.
The amusing bit parts and cameos range from Bill Nighy and Steve Coogan, to Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett. Yet the man who reigns supreme over all of them is ex-James Bond Timothy Dalton, in more of a decently sized supporting role than a bit part. Dalton is the mustached Simon Skinner, an absurdly over the top villain who seems to be at the scene of every crime Pegg's character inspects.
Hot Fuzz is a great film compared to recent "parody films" like Epic Movie and to a lesser extent Scary Movie, because Hot Fuzz openly embraces the films it imitates, and the characters in the film play it completely straight, rather than acting as if they're in a comedy. Also, Wright actually has a strong visual and directorial style that accentuates the humor and over the top action. The opening of Hot Fuzz is a bit slow for some, but every single plot point covered from beginning of the film comes together in the erratic, explosive, ridiculously entertaining end.