Unleash the Hot Fuzz
Written: Jun 07 '07
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Great cast, very funny
Cons: Not as much action as the trailer implies
The Bottom Line: This is a great British send-up of American cop action films.
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| phungus's Full Review: Hot Fuzz |
Hot Fuzz is a hilarious British action/comedy from the same people who made Shaun of the Dead. It debuted in the UK on Valentine’s Day this year, then found its way to U.S. theaters one month later. While this movie hasn’t been as big a hit as Shaun, it has climbed to #110 of the top 250 movies on IMDb.com. Shaun is at #234.
This movie sort of parodies American buddy cop films. When was the last time you saw a movie about British law enforcement that wasn’t a 007 film or a Tarantino knock-off? It stars Simon Pegg, who played the title role in Shaun, as a hard-nosed police officer who is so good that his superiors send him off to police a little country village. Their reason for sending him away is that he makes the rest of them look bad by comparison.
When Pegg’s character arrives at the little town, it’s like a British version of Mayberry. Nothing bad ever really happens and the only problems involve lost geese and teenagers wearing hooded sweatshirts. Shortly after arriving at the town, several people die in a series of weird accidents that don’t seem too accidental. Pegg begins to think there is a serial killer on the loose, but most of the townsfolk think he’s just a paranoid big-city cop. As the bodies pile up, Pegg starts to uncover something nasty going on in the quiet little town.
The previews for this movie incorrectly advertised it as an action movie. While it does have a pretty big shoot-out toward the end of the movie, this isn’t a shoot-em-up like a typical American cop film. In many ways, it reminded me of a Dirty Harry movie where the star is the center of the film, not the action. Imagine that: A movie that leans on good acting and writing instead of explosions and special effects. That’s a rarity these days.
Fans of Shaun of the Dead will find the same kind of smart humor here. While everybody has a British accent, I didn’t find any of the dialogue hard to understand. It is a bit profane at times, but that can be expected from this type of movie. I really liked how this story combines a funny little mystery with some very clever dialogue and situations. It is the perfect blend of action and comedy.
The cast that was assembled for this movie is quite an amazing group of top British actors. In addition to Simon Pegg and his sidekick Nick Frost, this movie features former 007 Timothy Dalton, Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent, and even Paul Freeman, who you may remember as playing Beloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I would have expected this movie to be a bigger hit in the United States, but I think it got swamped by the sequels this summer. It didn’t help that the marketing for this movie focused too much on the action and not enough on the comedy. In the preview, the main comic bit they showed off was a parody of something that had been done before in Shaun of the Dead. Had this film been better advertised, I think it could have been a bigger hit.
Hot Fuzz is still playing at some theaters, but it will probably be gone within the next few weeks as new movies are released each weekend. The bottom line here is that if you enjoyed the humor in Shaun of the Dead, then you will surely get a kick out of this movie.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Funny Movie
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