The cop movie, once a staple of American cinema, seems to have fallen by the wayside. Every year, fewer action-packed police thrillers are being made, and of those, very few of them are anything but tired and clichéd. Leave it to the creative team that brought us “Shaun of the Dead” to breathe new life into the hackneyed genre.
“Hot Fuzz” is director Edgar Wright’s newest comedy. Wright directed and co-wrote 2004’s “Shaun of the Dead,” the zombie romantic comedy (or “zom-rom-com”). “Shaun” star and co-writer Simon Pegg is back as the star and co-writer of Wright’s attempt at making the cop movie compelling again.
Police constable Nicholas Angel (Pegg) is England’s best police officer. Due to the fact that his shining record is making everyone else look bad, he is transferred to a quiet town in the countryside. When he arrives to Sandford, England’s safest village, he is partnered with the police chief’s son Danny Butterman (Nick Frost, also from “Shaun”). When a series of fatal accidents start occurring around Sandford, the other officers dismiss Angel’s suspicions of foul play.
Much in the way that “Shaun of the Dead” managed to be both a great zombie movie and romantic comedy, “Hot Fuzz” delivers on all levels. The comedy is sharp and funny while the action is intense and explosive. Director Wright and actors Pegg and Frost may be the most versatile and underrated team making movies today.
Pegg and Frost absolutely shine onscreen. After seeing them play best friends in “Shaun of the Dead,” it was great seem them play forced partners in “Hot Fuzz.” Pegg’s character is a no-nonsense supercop who begrudgingly tries to teach his inept partner how to be a better law enforcer. Frost’s character, on the other hand, is an overeager dolt who idolizes American cop movies and longs for the kind of action that his partner had to give up to come to Sandford. It is a very different relationship from what we saw in “Shaun,” though it is no less believable or entertaining. The first two acts of “Hot Fuzz” are what you might come to expect in such a film. There is a lot of character development and plot escalation, all with constant British wit and humor. Like “Reno 911!,” there is a lot of comedy based on dealing with mundane crimes ranging from missing swans to the threat posed by Sandford’s most hated street performer, the “Living Statue.”
“Hot Fuzz” uses a lot of subtlety in its humor along with recurring gags that show up throughout the film. The movie also drops a lot of hilarious references ranging from “Chinatown” to “He-Man.”
The third and final act of “Hot Fuzz” kicks everything into high gear. The climax of the film also features one of the best and most elaborate gunfights you will ever see in a movie. If nothing else, “Hot Fuzz” is the best cop movie to come out in years.
You would be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable movie than “Hot Fuzz.” Can’t decide whether to see a hilarious comedy or a hard-hitting action movie? You can see both by going to see “Hot Fuzz.”
