Hot Fuzz (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'Hot Fuzz' is a clever comedy written by Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, & directed by Wright, as well. Following up the popular Shaun of the Dead is this spoof on buddy-cop movies. Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is the best cop London has to offer. He's so efficient that he makes all other cops, inspectors, & sergeants, pale at their respective jobs. As a result, they ship him & his expertise upon a quiet village in the countryside, Sandford. At first, he's bored by the town's small crimes. But when dead bodies start piling up, Angel becomes obsessed with finding the killer (when the entire village oddly believes all the deaths to be accidental). As in Shaun ..., the funny moments come ferociously, but they die down midway, & the end gets a bit overblown. Still, I enjoyed the 'Hot Fuzz' experience.
In Sandford, he's partnered with a barely reputable constable, Danny (Nick Frost, his buddy from Shaun). The son of Sandford's Police Chief, Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent), Danny is a big action movie fan of such atrocities like Point Break & Bad Boys II. Because of this, he hopes his new partner, Angel, will be able to bring a bit of London's high crime life of explosives, gunfights, fires & car chases to little 'ole Sandford. Angel is not happy with his predicament, but he tries to ignore the annoying Danny and stick to his job (making sure underage drinking is halted at the local pub, handing out speeding tickets, etc.). But soon enough, a series of gruesome 'accidents' occur and Angel is convinced that Sandford's 1st killer in 20 yrs. is afoot.
Who's the killer? Why are the townsfolk so sure that all the deaths are accidents? You find out in one great scene where Angel discovers the truth in a castle courtyard. The gun fighting, chasing, & explosives that Danny had hoped for occurs; by the end, both he & we (the audience) are satisfied. But where, oh where to begin with 'Hot Fuzz'? First, it's crazy to think that London would part ways with their best cop, but for the purposes of the plot in this silly film, it makes perfect sense. Absurdities are abounding, & for this spoof, I'm eternally grateful. The characters that Angel stumbles upon are caricatures from other films. Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Steve Coogan, Paddy Considine (as a useless homicide detective), Timothy Dalton (as manager of a local grocery store), etc.
The 1st hour (not unlike Shaun of the Dead) is great. Pegg is quirky enough to pull off the character. His incessant arrests of Sandford's locals (aka peeing in the pub) are quite funny. One character, the mumbler (played by Harry Potter's Filch), is hysterical. Before the gory killing spree, Angel's biggest case is hunting down a swan that escaped from someone's yard! Then, deep into the killings, the ridiculousness mounts when the locals think that Leslie really DID fall on her pruning shears, instead of being murdered. The satirical jokes & parody of summer action flicks are smartly observed, here. The quick-editing which thrusts the movie forward is stellar. I was impressed. But similar to Shaun ..., the last hour (yes, this comedy is 2 hours long) falls a bit flat, at times.
While the concept of the film is very funny, aiming for comedic genius ... it falters in the middle. The jokes come infrequently. And even the ending, which offers some hearty laughs & an overextended fight scene, becomes excessive. How funny is 'Hot Fuzz'? I often found myself smirking & nodding my head in silent acknowledgment, though I didn't laugh out loud (like in Shaun...). Lots of intentional mayhem is going on in this film, but I don't think it's quite as great as most critics will lead you to believe; it's intermittently amusing. You know, I enjoy British humor, & I enjoy lampoons, etc. But something about the Pegg/Wright series hasn't quite connected with me yet. But they're fine movies. 'Hot Fuzz' does well at poking fun & showing us how dumb action movies can be.
In Sandford, he's partnered with a barely reputable constable, Danny (Nick Frost, his buddy from Shaun). The son of Sandford's Police Chief, Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent), Danny is a big action movie fan of such atrocities like Point Break & Bad Boys II. Because of this, he hopes his new partner, Angel, will be able to bring a bit of London's high crime life of explosives, gunfights, fires & car chases to little 'ole Sandford. Angel is not happy with his predicament, but he tries to ignore the annoying Danny and stick to his job (making sure underage drinking is halted at the local pub, handing out speeding tickets, etc.). But soon enough, a series of gruesome 'accidents' occur and Angel is convinced that Sandford's 1st killer in 20 yrs. is afoot.
Who's the killer? Why are the townsfolk so sure that all the deaths are accidents? You find out in one great scene where Angel discovers the truth in a castle courtyard. The gun fighting, chasing, & explosives that Danny had hoped for occurs; by the end, both he & we (the audience) are satisfied. But where, oh where to begin with 'Hot Fuzz'? First, it's crazy to think that London would part ways with their best cop, but for the purposes of the plot in this silly film, it makes perfect sense. Absurdities are abounding, & for this spoof, I'm eternally grateful. The characters that Angel stumbles upon are caricatures from other films. Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Steve Coogan, Paddy Considine (as a useless homicide detective), Timothy Dalton (as manager of a local grocery store), etc.
The 1st hour (not unlike Shaun of the Dead) is great. Pegg is quirky enough to pull off the character. His incessant arrests of Sandford's locals (aka peeing in the pub) are quite funny. One character, the mumbler (played by Harry Potter's Filch), is hysterical. Before the gory killing spree, Angel's biggest case is hunting down a swan that escaped from someone's yard! Then, deep into the killings, the ridiculousness mounts when the locals think that Leslie really DID fall on her pruning shears, instead of being murdered. The satirical jokes & parody of summer action flicks are smartly observed, here. The quick-editing which thrusts the movie forward is stellar. I was impressed. But similar to Shaun ..., the last hour (yes, this comedy is 2 hours long) falls a bit flat, at times.
While the concept of the film is very funny, aiming for comedic genius ... it falters in the middle. The jokes come infrequently. And even the ending, which offers some hearty laughs & an overextended fight scene, becomes excessive. How funny is 'Hot Fuzz'? I often found myself smirking & nodding my head in silent acknowledgment, though I didn't laugh out loud (like in Shaun...). Lots of intentional mayhem is going on in this film, but I don't think it's quite as great as most critics will lead you to believe; it's intermittently amusing. You know, I enjoy British humor, & I enjoy lampoons, etc. But something about the Pegg/Wright series hasn't quite connected with me yet. But they're fine movies. 'Hot Fuzz' does well at poking fun & showing us how dumb action movies can be.