Fighting big criminals in a small country village!

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2007)

Well, the Spaced crew had a lot to follow up on with Shaun of the Dead being such a massive hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and after seeing this film I would say they've just about done it! This time round, they've decided to spoof cop buddy films - although there's plenty of other stuff thrown in for good measure! I went into this film expecting it to be about British policemen (sorry, British police officers), and that's the best way to go into it. I really don't want to spoil this film too much as giving potential viewers any sort of idea of where the film goes from its base plot would seriously hinder their enjoyment. The film focuses on Nicholas Angel; a London police officer with a long line of decoration. He's called into the sergeant's office one day to find that he's been promoted! However, that's not good news as he's been given a job in the small country village of Sandford, away from the busy streets of London as his arrest record is making the rest of the force (sorry, service) look bad. However, he soon finds that life in sleepy Sandford isn't so sleepy after all...
What's great about this film, for me anyway, is that it's completely British! It's obvious where Pegg and Wright were coming from as they've taken the style of the big Hollywood cop buddy blockbuster and applied it to a rural English setting. It's refreshing to see, to say the least and the fact that most of the satire in the film is right on cue means the overall effect is even better. The film features a strong British cast, with numerous familiar faces such as Bill Bailey, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton (in an excellent role!), Martin Freedman, Paddy Considine, Steve Coogan and even the Wicker Man star Edward Woodward popping up alongside main stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The way that the plot works is excellent, as the writers exhaust one point and then the film quickly changes direction, meaning it never grows stale. It can feel a bit inconsistent, and the final third isn't as good as the first two; but in a movie this entertaining, it isn't a big problem. One thing I definitely wasn't expecting was this level of gore! Wright and Pegg are clearly and obviously horror fans at heart, and this is well felt in this movie with the 'Giallo' themed plot line that runs through the middle section. Overall, Hot Fuzz both lives up to Shaun of the Dead and my high expectations, and it comes highly recommended!