Hot Fuzz
Composite Score: 81.5
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Bill Bailey, Paul Freeman, Timothy Dalton, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Rafe Spall, and Olivia Colman
Director: Edgar Wright
Writers: Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg
Genres: Action, Comedy, Mystery, Crime, Thriller
MPAA Rating: R for violent content including some graphic images, and language
Box Office: $80.74 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Hot Fuzz is a police buddy comedy about a dedicated London police officer who gets reassigned to the country in a town that is the safest in England and consistently wins “Village of the Year” awards. That premise sets the stage for a highly entertaining action comedy. Simon Pegg does his part playing the by-the-book officer Nicholas Angel who is so good at being an officer that he is transferred out of the city for making everyone else look bad. Nick Frost plays his opposite, a goofy, drunken country police officer who is only really on the force because his dad is the town’s Chief Inspector and because he really wants to reenact scenes from his favorite police action movies (Bad Boys II and Point Break specifically). This film delivers for audiences seeking humor, action, mystery, and even aspects of thriller/slasher films.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
A cursory viewing of Hot Fuzz might make it come across as a form of “copaganda”. The idea of a “good cop” is at the center of the film but is handled with tact, doing little to glorify actual policing beyond paying well-crafted homage to other films in the genre. Sergeant Angel actually following all the rules is presented as an exception to actual police and, at the same time, an inconvenience to basically everyone he encounters, sending mixed messages about the role of police and the regulations they follow and enforce.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Firstly, the film does a good job of paying homage to the other films in the “police action” genre of films, making it clear that Edgar Wright understands what needs to go into these. It has mundane cases that come full circle and connect to the more detailed story. It features a conspiracy that goes right to the top of the local police force. It has wild action sequences that somehow manage to result in very few actual deaths. It uses twists and turns to move the story along and even has the classic scenes of getting shot while wearing a bullet-proof vest and the protagonists chasing inexplicably faster perpetrators. It does a good job of fitting these tropes into the genre of buddy comedy, keeping all of those moments original.
The film’s subgenre of slasher comes almost out of nowhere with the first murders of the film. Blood is not in short supply, and the killers dress in black hooded robes reminiscent of a cult or perhaps the Scream antagonists. It adds an extra layer to the mystery and crime aspect of the film, raising questions in the viewers’ minds and poking fun at the sometimes excessively gory deaths of television crime shows. Always, these deaths are played off as accidents by the people of the town, making them comedic despite their gruesome nature.
On its own, without nods to other content, Hot Fuzz is funny and fun. The film’s comedy features witty dialogue, visual gags, and even some “rude humor”, and most of it lands every time. From a current perspective, one of the funniest aspects of the film is Olivia Colman’s portrayal of the town’s female officer, who is the crudest of the lot, making a sex joke almost every time she speaks – a far cry from her Oscar nominated and winning performances of the last five years but perfect in the film, nonetheless. If the film existed in a vacuum, the action scenes, chases, humor, and relationship dynamics would make a great film. Angel’s return to the village with an arsenal in the last scene creates a humorous and quality showdown with the town’s elders. The chases around town set up consistently funny moments with spacing, film effects, and ironic situations. Making Nick Frost’s Danny the person who gets Sergeant Angel to care about something more than the job works so well, playing on the trope of romance, and crafting a convincing and quality “bromance” in the process.
A uniquely fun action movie with quality nods to the genres it imitates, Hot Fuzz remains one of the best action comedies of all time. Its place in the Greatest Films of All Time is well-deserved, and it is definitely a must-watch. Seek this one out on Hulu right now, you won’t regret it.
