MOVIE REVIEW: Hot Fuzz

This past weekend I got a chance to see the second film by Director Edgar Wright and writer Simon Pegg and honestly I can tell you that it is as funny and original as their first film Shaun of the Dead. They lovingly use the quick cuts from every action movie from Speed to Bad Boys to overblown action sequences from films like Die Hard. This was a clever spoof of the action genre that made it clear that it was not laughing at action films but possibly laughing along side.
Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is a dedicated cop who follows the letter of the law very seriously. He kicks butt and takes names and he doesn't ever cross the line. He apparently does his job so well that his superiors become jealous of him so they promote him and ship him out of town. Bill Nighy puts in a great cameo role as the police Commissioner who tries to let Angel know not so subtlety that he is making the other officers look like Bureaucratic buffoons and they would just prefer he take his little promotion and get out of town. Angel tries to take his new assignment in stride; as soon as he gets there he busts a bunch of underage kids drinking. The town is a sleepy little hamlet outside of London where crime is a seemingly rare occurrence, although they seem to have a high rate of terrible accidental deaths. My personal favorite was when one of the townsfolk “Accidentally” stabs herself in the neck with her garden shears. Angel begins to think that the accidents are actually foul play and that someone is committing mass murder. With the help of his witless sidekick Danny (Nick Frost), the duo crack some heads in order to get to the bottom of the brutal deaths. Danny follows Nick like a lap dog. The guy is completely obsessed with action flicks especially Point Break and Bad Boys. They do some great homage shots from both films by the way. You got a great cast here with the aforementioned as well as Timothy Dalton, Jim Broadbent, Stuart Wilson and Martin Freeman. The best though is the shoot out at the end of the film where Danny and Angel have to duke it out with members of the township. I have never laughed so hard in my entire life. The film is shot well it’s clever and entertaining and funny as shit so get off your arse and see it soon before Spider-Man 3 blows it from existence next week.

Grade: 4 Buckets