It's the question many a Director dreads. You've had your stunning debut which artfully melded the seemingly incompatible genres of the Zombie Movie, Comedy and Romance into the hugely enjoyable film Shaun of the Dead and sat back as the plaudits and Grosses rolled in, but now the dust has settled how do you follow it up? With a tongue in cheek homage to Hollywood action clichés is how. And so it is we get Hot Fuzz which reunites the Shaun team of director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost who also had writing input as Hollywood action is unleashed on the quaint English countryside.

Simon Pegg plays London super cop Sergeant Nicolas Angel a man who takes no prisoners as he cuts a swathe thru the criminal element of London with the OTT style of a Commando era Schwarzenegger. But it seems his hard work is simply to effective and with his methods leaving everyone else looking a poor substitute in comparison he is shipped off to the quiet village of Sandford where he can be less of an embarrassment to others. For the previously all action cop the life of exciting enforcement is replaced by dull monotony as he's paired off with the well meaning but bumbling Sergeant Danny Butterman his father Frank the police chief played by Jim Broadbent, and the rest of Sandfords laid back constabulary. But not everything is as it seems and soon the mounting level of "accidental" deaths has Angel's suspicions peaked that all is not rosy underneath the surface of the picturesque English hamlet.

It should be said first off that no matter how hard this movie tries it simply isn't going to match the genius of Shaun of the Dead in terms of concept, I mean what could possible beat the joining of Zombie and Romance, instead Hot Fuzz has to play its Action send up card to the maximum to achieve results and below the initial pitch it fires on all cylinders using what rope it has. Sandford comes across like a less sinister version of the British comedy League of Gentlemen as the immaculately kept town is populated with overtly pleasant shop ladies, old men in jackets to long for the season and a hulking man-child that works in the local supermarket. It looks safe enough but you just know something less then calm is underneath, a case in point being the deliciously old school Supermarket owner Simon Skinner played with relish by Timothy Dalton. He's a character so clearly unsavoury you'd expect Dick Dastardly to kick out of his skin at any moment while every scene he's found in plays with an effect akin to comical evil. But its not just Dalton that provides an ancillary character that breaks out beyond cardboard cut-out indeed all the villagers have distinctive sides from a police member with a love of Ian M Banks novels (perhaps I'm being a tad narrow on that one, its more of a subtle visual gag) to a incomprehensibly farmer with a weapons arsenal that would rival a army all the way to the village detectives collectively known as the "Andys" who seem to have been plucked straight from a 70s British crime drama replete with oversized moustaches and condescending putdowns.

But the real meat of the movie is the relationship between Angel's London Supercop and Danny the naïve but well meaning village Sergeant. Every buddy movie has an element of underlying love to it that at times borders on the Homoerotic and with Hot Fuzz its no different, indeed it makes sure this relationship is obvious as Danny excitedly peppers Angel with question like "Have you ever fired 2 guns while jumping through the air" and "Have you ever fired a gun out of a moving car". Its puppy love of the highest nature and some of the movie best moments derive from it. There is a great scene where the two drunken officers stumble back to Danny's house to watch Point Break and Bad Boys 2 on DVD as the films makes it blindingly obvious the influence these 2 movies have on Hot Fuzz. Anybody who has seen Point Break will know what I mean when I say the scene with Reeves firing his gun into the air is brilliantly incorporated into a scene later on in the Movie.

But for all the comic enjoyment on display Hot Fuzz is not without its flaws. At 2 hours long it overruns by about 20 minutes in terms of the level of consistency when it comes to the comedy. The entire first hour is a bit of a hit and miss affair (bar the explosive London opening) as the viewer is dealt a little too much dry humour then is wise while some of the side characters like the Detective Andys grate after the first minute of mild enjoyment they provide. The perpetrator of Sandfords "accidental" deaths definitely will have Wes Craven's Scream lawyers manning the phones as well, although the death's provided do have a messy Final Destination feel to them and all pay homage to various movies past along the way.

Where this movie really wins though is in the last 30 minutes, which is basically the action packed sections of the movies trailers strung out while remaining exhilarating through the whole of the carnage. I'll give you a hint as to when to expect the enjoyment to begin. When Angel sticks on the Miami Vice shades and roars back into Sandford you are guaranteed the best time you'll have in a cinema this year period. I know its only February now but I'll stand firmly by that statement to the end. The action homages which previously had come in at a steady pace explode into view as the entertainment gets turned up to the maximum with blazing shoot-outs in the town square and supermarket. The editing, music and Pegg's portrayal of Angel as an action man that would put the 80s in the shade render this section of the movie pure perfection. The editing itself is so frenetic you swear that somebody injected Michael Bay with Speed and allowed him reek havoc in the editing room. I can honestly say that if by the end of the movie you haven't got a grin the size of a Cheshire cat painted on your face you are either in a Coma or clinically dead.

All I can ask at the end is this. Edgar, Simon, Nick. What's next up?

A-

Oh and there is a piece in this that Libs will love. Think along the lines of Wicker Man and kick in the face and you'll know what I mean.

The opening of HOT FUZZ left at least one film-goer (i.e., Dr Jam) with serious concerns. The choppy, Cool Britannia-style opening with the Mockney narrator left me a bit cold. I quailed when the tired trio of ubiquitous British actors wheeled themselves out as Angel's superiors, in thankfully short-lived and almost cameo roles (in two of those cases, sitcom genius just hasn't migrated to big screen competence). But fortunately (fortunately indeed) my fears turned out to be misplaced. Once Angel was choppity-chopping to Sandford, clutching his Japanese peace lilly through a well-executed (if hardly original) "weary traveller" montage, I began to ease into the film. By the end, I would be thoroughly satisfied and more than amused. And here's why.

For starters, it is very funny. Surprisingly, the film's real humour (in terms of actual hearty belly laughs, that is - as opposed to the gentle, smile-inducing sort that accompanies you through every scene like an old friend) is often carried by Sandford's two detectives - a hilarious double act with some brilliant comic delivery and gleefully childish lines. This allows the film's more famous faces, including Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, to engage in some more subdued character development, since they've been freed from the burden of carrying that "wave of laughter" alone.

That's not to say that they don't get the laughs, of course. Two of the film's funniest moments belong to the stars: Frost's hilarious stunned oath at unearthing a huge cache of firearms ("By the power of Grayskull...!") is one. Another is a bit of brilliant mock-heroic slapstick, in which (after a laughably long run-up, in which the old lady struggles to reload her shotgun) Pegg jumps over a hedge and fly-kicks a farmer's mum right in the face. But despite those golden moments, the best thing about these two actors is their characterisation of the roles: nice details like the moment where Frost reveals that his Mum died in a "traffic collision"; Pegg's building, almost Kafka-esque exasperation at his blinkered colleagues; the relationship between the two leads, which artfully treads the line between homoerotic parody and genuine emotional content. We're talking about a style of acting that somehow stands on its feet and remains compelling, when it could so easily topple one way (into laughs without substance) or the other (into sickly-sweet cliché).

In fact, it's this genuine (and well-executed) emotional aspect to the film that makes me wonder if this is one of the few genres that Britain could be a world leader at - i.e., the full-length-film-from-a-stupidly-flimsy-premise - since, when Hollywood has tried something similar, the end result has often been enough ideas, character, and plot to fill one sketch or sitcom episode, but stretched out over a whole film (films that often are, in the words of Bilbo Baggins, "like butter spread over too much bread").

Getting back to Hot Fuzz, other highlights include brilliant pastiches of other films (including the surprising-but-delightful Godzilla spoof, in which Pegg and the supermarket manager have their final thrilling confronation in the model village) and the laughable last 30 minutes, in which the action, despite being a stupid parody of the genre, is surprisingly successful as a Commando-style sequence in its own right (certainly, you'll be on the edge of your seat throughout). The special effects also deserve a mention, with the brilliantly cartoony corpses, graphic deaths, and nice gritty details like blood on the camera preserving the independent vibe of the film. I'm certainly looking forward to a DVD full of special features and documentaries.

Is it as good as Shaun of the Dead? Probably not, but it's hard for me to tell. Probably not because, while I've praised the characterisation of the piece, good is not necessarily as good. It just didn't have anything as genuinely and surprisingly emotionally compelling as "but she's my MOTHER!" Hard for me to tell, tho', because Shaun of the Dead got instant brownie points by spoofing one of my favourite genres - the latex horror. At this point, it's worth noting how much I enjoyed the brief "Hammy Horror" passage after Pegg falls underground, replete with corpses and humorous haunting voiceovers as everything clicks into place ("...a big, bushy beard!" got a laugh in our cinema). I would have liked a lot more of that, but we're getting into personal territory there - at least, too personal for a review that aspires to be as objective as possible, even if that's a fool's errand to start with...

In short, then, Hot Fuzz is great fun. Unlike those "great fun" films that evaporate the minute you step blinking from the cinema, it has enough emotional content to make it stick. Here's to more of the same.

A-

Oh dear. Is this where yet another user "outs" me as not being a real doctor?

Oh - cheers matey I'm from the UK, and live within comfortable (-ish) walking distance of Snrub.

Ah, I'm actually neither. I'm not the first of Neil's friends to turn up here (he should get a commission).

Congrats to your brother - mine's getting hitched on Sunday, and I've got to do a speech :S

Great review Dr.Jam, your an excellent wordsmith.

Hmm, I'll assume that loyal didn't see it in theaters.

I wonder if I should do the same.

Indeed

You wait till April Zing. No net searching.

B+


Well, I am joining the "very good, but not quite great club" and go down a little notch. It is fairly entertaining and I must say that I liked it more than the rather overrated Shaun of the Dead, but on the whole it is not a masterpiece some reviewers make it out to be. The first half is partly dull and while there are some genuinely funny moments there, it didn't quitze keep my interest throughout. It is the last third of the movie where it goes completely banana and where it simply blew me away. Nick Frost and Simon Pegg going "Bad Boys II" is simply AWESOME! I mean everyone who doesn't enjoy that and feel exhilarated...is simply dead.

C+

Occasionally funny thanks to Frost, but never elevates itself into greatness.

Wow. Absolutely terrible. 'nuff said.

bump

I was almost on the floor when that happened.

As for the movie itself, I thought it was pretty good, but not on the same level as Shaun of the Dead. However, it took me a couple of repeat viewings to see the brilliance in Shaun so maybe that will happen with this movie. The first and third acts are pretty good, but anything not involving gore or the two of them bonding, the film becomes tedious. The last third is sheer brilliance though. The nod to Bad Boys II at the end (That no one in the theater seemed to get, even though they showed that clip earlier in the film) was hilarious.

I have to see the film again though. I think I missed the first 10 minutes or so. Fucking traffic.

B+

a very good movie, with a fantasticly fun ending. had a few slower spots but none really hurt the movie too much.

B+/A-

Second movie in a row I've seen in theaters that got an applause at the ending. :o Which is odd, since I'm not sure I've had 2 such experiences in the last 2 years previously.

But not that odd, when you consider how great this movie is. :O

Hot Fuzz

I was anticipating this film when I first caught the trailer and just this friday someone I knew was raving about it. He said it was one of his top 10 already. woo. Anyway, after viewing it the film is very hit/miss. Either your gonna like the slapstick or not like it. Obviously it's a semi-parody action film with some good moments and bad moments.

Good:

Nich Angel
his buddy and his one liners
the action and violence

Bad:

the overusage of sound effects
the use of seizure inducing flicker images
some of the gunfight at the end
the inept co-police officers

I could take only so much of his other officers continually acting stupid in the face of logic. I wish the gunfight at the end had ended with the deaths of the nwa instead of gun wounds. Overally, I did find it entertaining but not overly so that I'd rewatch this again. Maybe in another year and a half.

Grade - B

Pretty good movie although it plays quite slow in the beginning and some of the english jokes I dont quite get. Towards the middle and end, it turns into a great satire and was quite enjoyable. I think Edgar Wright has the greatest potential to become the next great hollywood director in the future. Its a great start for his second movie although it wasnt the classic like Shaun of the Dead but I did love the grocery store shoot out and the South Park like gore and violence

B+

Really loved it. 'specially the last 30 minutes.

But... there are slow spots that I wish weren't there. I'm quite surprised that the movie ran so long. I think 10 or 15 minutes could have been cut out, to at least make it flow better.

There's no doubt that it could never top Shaun of the Dead for me, but it's still my favorite of the year, and upon repeat viewings, could become one of my all-time favs. SOTD took about five viewings before I decided it was my favorite movie ever.

Grade: A

Easily the best movie of 2007 so far!

This is smart writing -- very film literate (and not just for the films literally referenced in the film) -- there's no way anybody's gonna start to get 80% of the humor in this movie on first viewing. Like it's lovable co-star, it's ultra dense with comedy. But top credit goes to it's writer/lead actor Pegg and writer/director Wright -- it's freakin' hi-larious.

9 out of 5.

I was almost ready to revoke your signiture if you hated the film

Glad ya liked it, fuerte.

Oh, but if only you were a Britophile too -- you'd be amping out your accolades just like me...

The people behind films like "Epic Movie" only wish they could be this clever at incorporating subtle parodies, while still maintaining an actual storyline that people can become invested in.

I know "Epic Movie"'s purpose, but still. They could try a bit harder with movies like that.

I'm not just a Britophile, I'm a bonafide Brit, and I still had my problems with it.

While my views on the movie are fairly similar to those of Dr Jam, I thought the central mystery was a bit bobbins, the film itself far too long, and the ending far too bloodless (did anyone die?). Nevertheless, it was fun, had some great moments and stands as one of the better British films of recent years. It does pale in comparison to Shaun, mind you. I just hope they aren't as self-indulgent next time round (which, although shrouded in jealous secrecy, is apparently going to be their take on the sci-fi "Alien" genre - hush, hush *taps nose*).