Hot Fuzz (2007)

A skilled London police officer is transferred to a small town with a dark secret.

Sam’s Review

Quintessentially British. The rural town, the accents, the pub. Not quite the usual location for an action film, we find ourselves transported to Sanford, Gloucestershire, as recently promoted Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is transferred there against his will.  Hot Fuzz, while a parody of the buddy-cop genre, in it's light-heartedness fairs much better than most serious films within the genre. Of course, the plot is highly unrealistic, mainly because of the setting. But that is kind of the point. Crammed full of cliché lines, typical action shots and intense music. And, even though this blends genres, it remains a comedy, which makes the use of the mechanics of an action film that much funnier. The misdirection usually ends with a chuckle, or is used as a device to keep the audience unbalanced, still guessing where the film is headed. One suspects there is an element of highlighting the ludicrousness of the genre.

They also subtly steal tropes from romantic comedies but execute them in a platonic fashion. With such creativity, you can only admire the hilarity! The bromance between Frost and Pegg helps, of course. Their friendship is obvious and the chemistry is natural. The amount of references they fit into the film is insane, and I am sure there were many more that I missed. And there's layers to it. For example, Danny (Nick Frost) references Point Break (1991), making Nicholas watch it after a drunken night out. During the film, Nick becomes excited during a certain scene. (I won't say which one, otherwise it could ruin the film. Though it has been out for 13 years...) Later on, they organically recreate the sequence, seemingly shot for shot. They reference so many films, including Shaun of the Dead (2004). There is a brilliance to the writing that I am failing to accurately describe. They intricately weave this story together, where even the misdirection actually serves to be a part of the bigger picture. It's well done, and bitingly funny. Some punchlines are a little obvious, but they're never forced, and usually land nevertheless. It lacks the depth of heavy multiple viewings, but that's unsurprising for a comedy. My main critique of the film is that it can drag, most notably in the first act. Though it should be recognised that this is the umpteenth time I've watched Hot Fuzz. The attention to detail is impeccable. Instead of creating a sloppy parody, attempting to mock it's subject, Hot Fuzz pays homage to the action. While it finds humour in the over-the-top nature of the genre, it clearly also finds joy.

8/10