"Ever fired your gun in the air and yelled, 'Aaaaaaah?' "

Rating: 10/10 (23 May 2007)

How to top Shaun of the Dead? Such a question had been endlessly circling between moviegoers worldwide since the release of the impeccable satire yet tribute to zombie films mixed with romance and a healthy side of British comedy in 2004. The combination (cleverly billed as "rom-zom-com") clicked, but with expectations raised so high, the possibility of a follow up which could match or exceed Shaun in terms of creativity, cleverness and sheer enjoyment factor seemed a daunting prospect indeed. Fortunately, director Edgar Wright and his co-writer and star Simon Pegg proved ahead of themselves, as they embraced their sudden fame rather than falling prey to its trappings, following up their previous hit with an exuberant and masterful send up of the oh so stereotypical buddy cop movie. The result? Hot Fuzz.
Director Wright's body of work is an interesting one indeed, as he seems constantly torn between showing immense knowledge of whatever genre he is satirizing, while delivering a superb entry in said genre all the while - a trait he continues with Hot Fuzz. Chock full of enough references of classic (and some classically bad) action films to keep even the most experienced action buffs busy, Hot Fuzz is itself a testament to the sheer quantity of knowledge and enthusiasm Wright and Pegg had for the genre. But all the same, while Hot Fuzz is clever enough to never take itself too seriously, and remain for the most part a wonderfully tongue in cheek satire, the filmmakers don't shy away from the task of creating what is simply one of the most adrenaline fuelled, blood pumping action sequences ever seen on a movie screen. Wright also keeps things interesting throughout with a rapid fire editing style (seen in smaller doses in Shaun), showing blindingly fast montages with exaggerated sound effects, a wonderfully unique technique which really succeeds in retaining the audience's attention without seeming pretentious or mind-numbing.
It is this final combat scene and the few preceding it which really make Hot Fuzz the wonderful piece of work it is - while the build up throughout the film, establishing the characters, the setting and the pseudo murder-mystery feel to the plot, and throwing in a few chuckle-worthy one liners all the while is for the most part comical and entertaining, it proves a bit too slow and uneventful, with the clever comedic touches too sparse to really make as much of an impact as one might hope. Fortunately, the climatic showdown is enough to make up for any of the film's prior shortcomings - gut-wrenchingly hilarious, yet endlessly energetic and exciting all the same. It is in these last few scenes Hot Fuzz really excels, and raises the limit from simply chuckle-worthy to flat out hysterical and supremely entertaining.
It helps of course that Wright seems to have rallied up nearly every British character actor on the planet to make an appearance, though it goes without saying that the real attraction of the show is the simply wonderful dynamic duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost reuniting once again after TV's Spaced and Shaun; this time as a hard edged, obsessive London cop and his witless country bumpkin partner (with Pegg playing the straight man for a change, allowing Frost's dimwitted character to pick up most of the punchlines). But there is also wonderful comedic support from the supporting cast, including Jim Broadbent as the bumbling but warm hearted police chief of the backwards British town Pegg's character is sent off to, a scene stealing Timothy Dalton, a far cry from his Bond days as a hilarious and very suspicious seeming grocery store baron and Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall as verbally abusive detectives with highly questionable facial hair. The film's tongue in cheek cameos are also highlights, with the likes of Bill Nighy, Martin Freeman and Steve Coogan raising many a laugh in their minute scenes as Pegg's jealous fellow London policemen, and unrecognizable, blink-you-miss-'em appearances from Cate Blanchett as Pegg's ex-girlfriend and Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson as a murderous Santa Clause. What's not to love?
All in all, Hot Fuzz proves itself as one of the most gutsy and energetic satires in recent history, side-splitting action cliché parodies mixed with adrenaline pumped tributes to the genre, fuelled by a wonderfully witty script and Wright's trademark rapid-fire editing and brilliant cinematography. It's just a shame it takes so long for the film to really get going, but once the plot picks up and the action starts, Hot Fuzz makes its place as one of the most entertaining comedies or action films in recent history... see it for 'the greater good'.
-9.5/10