“Hot Fuzz” might be the funniest movie of 2007. From the makers of “Shaun of the Dead,” the new film parodies action cop dramas such as “Bad Boys II” and “Point Break.”
Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is an uptight police officer from London whose devotion to his job causes trouble among the local police force. His outstanding record makes the rest of the force look bad, so Angel is transferred to rural Sandford – a town whose biggest problems involve runaway swans and an irritating living statue.
In Sandford, Angel pairs up with Danny Butterman, (Nick Frost) a police officer with a slight obsession with buddy-cop movies and pubs. Angel, who is always on the job, finds it hard to adjust to the laid-back policing of Butterman and the rest of the Sandford police force.
A string of mysterious accidents makes Angel suspicious after they fail to elicit much of a response from his colleagues.
Convinced the accidents are actually murders, he begins to investigate them himself. What follows is a wild whodunit with equal parts action and comedy.
The movie successfully combines subtle, straight-faced British humor with outrageous slapstick. A dozen quirky townspeople add to the humor of the story while complicating Angel’s search for the killer – a black-cloaked villain straight out of “Scream.”
The movie includes a fair amount of gore as each of the victims fall prey to the killer. However, the gore is better associated with the over-the-top “Kill Bill” variety rather than with gratuitous slasher-movie gore.
The action steadily mounts throughout the movie climaxing in a scene filled with car chases, shootouts and an old lady getting kicked in the face.
The running time is the only downside to this hilarious experience because two hours is a bit too long for the material.
However, the laughs never stop. From Angel’s two-minute micro-biography in the beginning to the final credits, “Hot Fuzz” is non-stop jokes that rarely fall flat.
Anyone in the mood for a fun, action-packed movie will not be let down. The excellent writing and engrossing script make “Hot Fuzz” the best pig roast of the season.
Elizabeth Mathis can be reached at [email protected].
