Hot FuzzHeadline: Hero Cop Makes London Cops Look Bad, Gets Shoved Off to the Country; at least the spelling is alright. After being forced to accept a promotion in the halcyon village of Sandford, Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) prepares to make the most of his new assignment, bringing what little baggage he has with him, including his obsessive dedication to his life as a policeman...er, police officer. Sandford hardly seems like the sleepy hamlet which would require a man of Sgt. Angel's expertise, boasting a remarkably low crime rate; but Nick's keen powers of deduction are put to the test as he ascertains that not all is at it seems.
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Although it's no surprise that Nick Angel is heralded by the clarion call of "Goody Two Shoes" by Adam Ant; it's hard to make friends when you're constantly outshining them. Sure, Nick does good things, is swimming in achievement, but as he later observes in a moment of introspection with the amateur-going-pro cop, Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), he can't turn his mind off. Nick is driven, which comes at the expense of his relationship, and later--it would seem--his ability to connect with members of the Sandford community, busting underage drinkers at the local pub all before his first official day on the job. Hot Fuzz is kind of like The Odd Couple--only, Nick is the by-the-book obsessive, and the whole of Sandford is the sloppy, laid back one. The town of Sandford is a quiet one, and the upright citizens of the community all band together--unified under their neighborhood watch association--to ensure that the town continues to retain its status as the "Village of the Year", complete with a replica model of the town on display. With an apparent void of criminal activity, the town police have grown complacent, lazy; when the real action happens, they are so ill-equipped to deal with it that it makes you wonder why no one has been getting on with any other kinds of criminality, if it was so easy. Paradoxically, for a town with such a low crime rate, Sandford does have a rather high margin of accidents, a coincidence which Nick draws upon to connect the dots. When Nick mentions--with modesty--the action he saw in London in the "service", Danny looks up to him as the kind of cop he wants to be, not just his father's son in a costume uniform. Danny admires the action movies about cops getting into wild shoot outs and high-speed chases, and wants that. Danny tries to befriend Nick by trying to help him loosen up, kick back, and watch some cool movies, and Nick cultivates Danny's interest in actual police work, even if he has no real training. And like all those "buddy cop" movies from which Hot Fuzz draws inspiration, Danny and Nick forge a partnership where they learn what they need from one another.
Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright's second entry into his "Cornetto trilogy" shares more than a cameo of the delicious ice cream snack for a similarity; several other nods to its predecessor--Shaun of the Dead--emerge as the film progresses. Take one of the better sight gags, when Nick challenges Danny to take a "shortcut" by leaping over a set of wooden fences--of course, Nick is far more physically able than Shaun was. Hot Fuzz is best described as an homage to the garden of films from whence it was grown, with some references more overt than others. The film has more than a passing resemblance to Straw Dogs--referenced by one of the town's thespians having been an extra--a story that involves an "outsider" coming into the English country village, and struggling to adapt to their ways. Another pointed reference is to the English horror classic, The Wicker Man, where an officer from the city finds that his methods gain no ground in his efforts to do his job in the tightly knit country community, where the local way is foreign--even offensive--to the city cop; the lead actor of that film--Edward Woodward--even has a small role in Hot Fuzz. Even one of the most inspired casting decisions is a nod to the most seminal of British action films, with Timothy Dalton cast as Simon Skinner, the manager of a superstore in the town. The one-time Bond--James Bond--instead turns a heel as a character who comes across as having more in common with Blofeld; nearly every phrase he utters is loaded with sinister meaning. And Hot Fuzz is playful in its direction, particularly with the climactic set piece which takes place on an actual set piece. While Hot Fuzz plays a note or two in consideration of these movies, it is itself an excellent action movie, and Nick and Danny are fun characters who become friends and colleagues through their ordeals. The message of Hot Fuzz might be that sometimes you have to make hard decisions, and take a stand for what is right, even if it is hard, even if it isn't strictly for...the greater good.
Recommended for: Fans of the buddy cop movie, of action and conspiracy, for fans of comedy and gunplay. And also that soundtrack, with great hits from Sweet, T.Rex, and even Arthur Brown. Love it!
Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright's second entry into his "Cornetto trilogy" shares more than a cameo of the delicious ice cream snack for a similarity; several other nods to its predecessor--Shaun of the Dead--emerge as the film progresses. Take one of the better sight gags, when Nick challenges Danny to take a "shortcut" by leaping over a set of wooden fences--of course, Nick is far more physically able than Shaun was. Hot Fuzz is best described as an homage to the garden of films from whence it was grown, with some references more overt than others. The film has more than a passing resemblance to Straw Dogs--referenced by one of the town's thespians having been an extra--a story that involves an "outsider" coming into the English country village, and struggling to adapt to their ways. Another pointed reference is to the English horror classic, The Wicker Man, where an officer from the city finds that his methods gain no ground in his efforts to do his job in the tightly knit country community, where the local way is foreign--even offensive--to the city cop; the lead actor of that film--Edward Woodward--even has a small role in Hot Fuzz. Even one of the most inspired casting decisions is a nod to the most seminal of British action films, with Timothy Dalton cast as Simon Skinner, the manager of a superstore in the town. The one-time Bond--James Bond--instead turns a heel as a character who comes across as having more in common with Blofeld; nearly every phrase he utters is loaded with sinister meaning. And Hot Fuzz is playful in its direction, particularly with the climactic set piece which takes place on an actual set piece. While Hot Fuzz plays a note or two in consideration of these movies, it is itself an excellent action movie, and Nick and Danny are fun characters who become friends and colleagues through their ordeals. The message of Hot Fuzz might be that sometimes you have to make hard decisions, and take a stand for what is right, even if it is hard, even if it isn't strictly for...the greater good.
Recommended for: Fans of the buddy cop movie, of action and conspiracy, for fans of comedy and gunplay. And also that soundtrack, with great hits from Sweet, T.Rex, and even Arthur Brown. Love it!