The brilliant folks who brought you Shaun of the Dead have returned. Whereas their last film was a clever parody of the zombie movie genre, director Edgar Wright and his leading men Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have turned their sights on the cop genre in their newest film, Hot Fuzz.
Nicolas Angel (Pegg) is the best cop in London. He's so good at his job that he makes the other officers look bad. As a result, Nick's superiors promote him to Sergeant and reassign him to the boring, sleepy little village of Sandford. Naturally, the tough city cop has a difficult time adjusting to his new life. Instead of chasing dangerous criminals, Nick finds himself chasing after underage drinkers and an errant swan. Furthermore, he has to put up with his new partner, the doltish but lovable Danny Butterman (Frost), who's also the son of Sandford's Chief Inspector (Jim Broadbent). A huge fan of action cop movies such as Bad Boys and Point Break (both of which are heavily referenced in the film), Danny considers Nick a real-life action hero and idolizes him.
When a series of horribly violent "accidents" start occurring, Nick decides to investigate. However, his efforts are impeded by the lackadaisical attitude of his fellow officers, who refuse to believe there's anything sinister behind these "accidental" deaths. After all, what could possibly go wrong in the cheery, friendly, close-knit village of Sandford, which hasn't had a murder in 20 years?
Much like Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz elicits a knowing, "wink-wink" mentality from its audience, as they play a game of Spot the Action/Cop Film Reference. And indeed, there are dozens. The Matrix series, the Die Hard Series, the Lethal Weapon series, and John Woo's films are only the tip of the iceberg. What's great is that Wright doesn't just borrow lines or plot points from those films; he uses some of the camera shots and music featured in them. Even the Hot Fuzz poster is a parody of the Bad Boys II poster.
Unlike Wright's previous film, the action in Hot Fuzz doesn't really pick up until almost halfway in the film, when the "accidents" start to happen. However, it's important to establish the setting and Nick's new life in Sandford as being very dull and unchallenging. In short, the audience needed to feel as bored as he was. In addition, like the partners in the various buddy cop movies it parodies, it was necessary to allow the friendship between Nick and Danny to grow.
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Article comments
1 - Lisa McKay
Congratulations! This article has been selected for syndication to Boston.com, where it will be enjoyed by even more readers.
2 - Kaonashi
Yaaaay! Thanks very much!
3 - Leslie
I keep hearing nothing but funny things about this movie. Except I heard it is a bit long and drawn out, but the laughs are continuous. I was a huge fan of "Shaun of the Dead" so I am obviously interested in seeing how they turned this parody upside down! I think I will want to see this in the theaters because of all the graphics. If you are still deciding whether or not to see this you should defiantly check out this site for the full review. It's Ebert and Roeper's new site that offers high production video reviews on current and old flicks. Trust me, it's a movie freak's dream. I know this info because I work with Disney, hope it helped!
4 - Phillip Winn
I loved this movie, almost as much as Shaun of the Dead. I'm sure I'll pick it up on DVD the day it comes out.
Interesting note on Cate Blanchett; I wondered who played Janine!
5 - Kaonashi
Phillip- Oh, I'm definitely getting this on DVD (preferrably HD-DVD) when it comes out. As for Cate Blanchett, I didn't even realize it was her until I read on the IMDB about her uncredited role. Ironically, the day before watching "Hot Fuzz" I had watched for the millionth time my "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" DVD. How could I not have recognized her? LOL
6 - Phillip Winn
I actually wondered whether "Janine" was the same actress who played "Liz" in Shaun, but IMDB didn't list anybody at all, so I just puzzled... until I read this review.