The deadly funny duo Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg have once again created a cinematic marvel with their newest film “Hot Fuzz.” The two are most well known for their tart take on zombie movies in 2004’s “Shaun of the Dead.” Audiences everywhere were immediately enamored by the film’s biting wit and grossly funny bloodshed.
The film quickly generated a slew of zombie-loving devotees and escalated the film to a classical status. Wright and Pegg were keenly established as the funniest British writing team by picking up six awards in 2005, including the Bram Stoker Award for best screenplay.
In the wake of “Shaun’s” success, critics and viewers alike wondered whether or not Wright and Pegg could possibly live up to the precedent they had created for themselves.
This week’s opening proved that the movie would definitely keep up with its flesh-eating counterpart, if not surpass it altogether. While comparing the two remains in the eye of each individual viewer, “Hot Fuzz” is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
The film has already induced critics into a frenzy with its stunning originality, razor-sharp script, dynamic cast and unbelievably over the top action. “Fuzz” is a freshly curt look at the mindless action blockbusters Americans know and love.
Glenn Whipp of the Los Angeles Daily News sums it up best, asserting that, “‘Fuzz’ does for over-pumped cop action what Shaun did for flesh-eating brainlessness: sends up the genre’s plentiful absurdities in a movie that puts together better than most serious films of the same type.”
Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is London’s premier law enforcement officer. He drives faster, shoots better and arrests more people than any other officer on the force or in recent force history.
While such excellence should, in theory, be rewarded, it is anything but. Angel’s awesome police skills are making everyone else in the precinct look bad so he is exiled to Sandford, a dull village in the English countryside. Upon arrival, Angel finds his fast-paced lifestyle replaced with neighborhood watch meetings, nightly pub visits and worst of all, a police force without any crime to handle.
In addition, he finds himself paired with the chief inspector’s oafish son P.C. Danny Butterman (Nick Frost). The zealous young corporal yearns for the “bad boy” cop lifestyle that he sees in American action-cop flicks he is so hopelessly addicted to. His eagerness only contributes to Angel’s mounting frustrations with the town’s anti-punishment philosophy.
After a series of grisly deaths occur and are written off by the village as accidents, Angel begins to suspect foul play. Since none of his colleagues, save for his partner, entertain his suspicions, Angel and Butterman launch a full-scale investigation, delving into the twisted workings of the village.
The result is a hand-clapping, knee-slapping comedy that will keep you howling from start to finish. “Hot Fuzz” is a must see for anyone with a shred of humor, as it is an irresistibly hilarious thrill ride.
