Hot Fuzz

November 16, 2008

Edgar Wright does for Policemen what Edgar Wright did for zombies.

Simon Pegg does a complete 180 from his role in Shaun of the Dead in Hot Fuzz as Nick Angel. He’s a lean, mean law-enforcing machine. In fact, he’s such a good cop that he makes the rest of the department look bad – so he’s shipped off to a sleepy little village in the English countryside as a “reward.” Little does he know that the village is not as sleepy as it seems. Townspeople have been dropping like flies in bizarre accidents and Nick Angel WILL get to the bottom of it!

I found myself thinking about the film Straw Dogs several times while watching Hot Fuzz. It may have been the picturesque setting, but I kept referring back to the underlying theme of townspeople as a unit, acting as one for a common goal. Then again, it was probably just because one of the townspeople mentioned playing an extra in the film.

The most puzzling thing to me is Danny’s worship of Point Break and Bad Boys II. I can marginally understand Point Break – Cops and Robbers and Surfers – you can’t go wrong. But Bad Boys II? As I not familiar with the Bad Boys oeuvre, is there a compelling reason that Danny prefers the sequel to the original? Is it widely held to be a better film? Someone out there on the interweb, drop me a line and let me know…

Is Hot Fuzz better than Shaun of the Dead? No. It’s nearly as good though – not a disappointment by any means. You’ll laugh and laugh and laugh, then laugh some more.