Hot Fuzz, my diggities
Written: May 10 '07 (Updated May 11 '07)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Bang For The Buck |
 |
|
|
Pros: Consistency, script, direction, performances.
Cons: Takes its time ending?
The Bottom Line: is hot fuzzing.
|
|
|
| updateghost's Full Review: Hot Fuzz |
I once wrote that Shaun of the Dead was the "funniest [movie] I've EVER seen, period." After seeing Borat, that's not so true anymore; plus Shaun's second viewing simply wasn't as good because I had already replayed the best jokes over and over in my head.
But here we have Hot Fuzz, the second theatrical outing from director/co-writer Edgar Wright and co. The team has an uncanny ability to examine the most infinitesimal details of the genres that they spoof, making for comedy on a higher level than most (the targets here are Hollywood action blockbusters such as Bad Boys II). For example, whenever someone uses the phrase "policewoman," Sergeant Nicholas Angel reminds them that the correct term "policeperson," keeping pace in the political correctness of the modern age.
The plot is filled with hyperbole and juxtaposition, and that's key to its charm. Angel (co-writer Simon Pegg) is the best officer in his district, with 400% more arrests than the average policeperson. Feeling overshadowed by his success, Angel's superiors ship him off to the little town of Sandford, England, which has won "Village of the Year" for the past three years.
Sandford's scheme of perfection makes Angel awfully suspicious, and the citizens' denial of foul play is consistently uproarious. Angel's associates swiftly mock him whenever he concludes that an "accident" was a murder, and their bizarre characterizations provide some of the film's best moments-----two slothful detective brothers are particularly memorable. Nick Frost, who played the obtuse (but lovable) Ed in Shaun, here is equally obnoxious as Danny Butterman, the only officer who acts as a real friend to Angel.
There are those who do think that Hot Fuzz has something to offer as an action film, but they might be missing the point. Wright's deliberately over-the-top direction is precisely what keeps it from being thrilling, and if it were, this would be an entirely different type of film. Instead of being engaged by the ten-shots-per-minute action sequences, you're more likely to sit there with an enormous smile on your face, laughing more frequently than you have in recent memory (I personally smiled so much that my face began to hurt).
While it doesn't have the somewhat visceral emotional impact of Shaun, Hot Fuzz consistent humor makes it slightly better. Working Title tends to produce solid films, and Hot Fuzz's team knows itself well. That strength makes Hot Fuzz a comedy classic that will be remembered in years to come.
Rating: A
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Funny Movie
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
updateghost
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Member: Tom Speaker
Location: Somewhere over the rainbow...
Reviews written: 903
Trusted by: 123 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.