Good, I guess, if you're into that sort of thing

Rating: 6/10 (17 January 2009)

Let me start off by saying that British comedy is not my thing. On the whole, I don't care for Monty Python, and I didn't care for "A Fish Called Wanda" (though I loved "Death at a Funeral"). And that's what "Hot Fuzz" is: a British comedy.
Nicholas Angel takes being a policeman very seriously (meaning he's obsessed with it). But he's so good that his superiors transfer him to a little village in the middle of nowhere. Of course, he's a fish out of water there, as no one there gives a damn. But when he starts shaking things up, some startling "accidents" arise...
Even if you're not a fan of British comedy, there's plenty of material worth a couple of grins, though not enough to warrant a viewing. One of the strange things about "Hot Fuzz" is that even though it's clearly a satire, Simon Pegg makes Nicholas Angel into a fully three-dimensional character. Satires exist for the sole purpose of poking fun at character types, which the film does, but Angel is someone who displays a full range of emotion. That makes him more interesting, and dare I say it, sympathetic.
Other name actors are on hand to add to the fun. Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, and in a one scene cameo, an unrecognizable Cate Blanchett (she's hidden in a biomedical suit). Nick Frost is Angel's dimwitted sidekick, who shows him the ropes, and again, he's a character we begin to care about as well.
As I'm not a fan of this type of humor, I can't really judge how well it succeeds. But director Edgar Wright knows what he's doing, except when it comes to the action sequences. The constantly moving camera isn't successful, and gets pretty annoying.
Still, I guess it warrants a viewing if you're into this sort of thing.