Review of Hot Fuzz (2007) by Movie P — 09 Dec 2013

Hot Fuzz may just be the best comedy film of the 2000's. Not only is it gut-bustingly funny, but it manages to tell a great story, and flesh out it's characters to be more than the stereotypes we often get in comedy today. Films like Tropic Thunder and Superbad are among my favourite comedies of the last decade, but the relentlessly paced gags, and exceptionally well thought-out storyline pushes Hot Fuzz just ahead of those, and into the territory of my favourite comedy of all time: Airplane. The film has literally anything one could ask for in a comedy: Great writing (Pegg and Wright are a formidable duo)? Check. Fantastic acting (Pegg and Frost play off each other with aplomb)? Check. More superb direction (Co-Writer Wright has all sorts of fun behind the camera)? Check. Without a doubt, Hot Fuzz raises the bar for not just British comedy, but comedy of any form, on the small screen or big, British, American (Or even Irish), whatever nationality you pick. Hot Fuzz is more than worthy of taking it's place right alongside the greatest comedies of all time.

Constable Nicholas Angel (The impeccable Pegg) is the absolute gold standard of the London Police Force (Well, official vocab guidelines state that Force is too aggressive), and we learn in a humorously over-the-top opening montage that his arrest rate is 400% above the average of his peers, and that he excelled in every facet of police-work, both physical and mental. He has received four injuries in his career, the last one being at the hands of a man dressed as Father Christmas (An unnoticeable cameo by, of all people, Peter Jackson). This is something that should be held up as a shining example of how incorruptible spirit is the backbone of British peacekeeping. Not so, according to his superiors. In a bit of gleeful madness, Nicholas is told that his C.V. makes the other officers a little uncomfortable, and head office feels it would be best if he were to relocate in the sleepy rural village of Sandford. All this is communicated to him through three hilarious guest appearances (I couldn't spoil it for you).

Against his wishes, and believing that he has so much more to give, Nicholas packs up, and informs his girlfriend (Another surprising cameo) that he must leave. In a bit of (perhaps clunky) exposition, she informs his that she knows this is the end of their relationship, and that he will never be truly able to settle down until he finds someone that he cares about more than his job. While it may be clunky exposition, upon a rewatch, I realised that it also doubles as some hilarious foreshadowing. Nicholas ups sticks, now with no burdens in London, and transfers to Sandford. He learns that the adjustment will be uncomfortable, as all around him, he sees crime running rampant (Though, perhaps not on the level an ordinary citizen would see it). Nicholas is unable to comfortably make the transition to small-town cop, much to the amusement of those around him: His superior, Inspector Frank Butterman (The great Jim Broadbent), wisecracking female PC Doris Thatcher (Olivia Colman, now a highly-regarded dramatic actress), and two police equivalents of playground bullies (The ineffable Rafe Spall and Paddy Considine). The only person who Nicholas can see even remotely eye-to-eye with is his bumbling partner Danny (The ever-hilarious Nick Frost), and Danny only has a job because Frank is his father. Just as Nicholas seems fit to give up, however, the just over-the-top-enough-to-be-menacing Simon Skinner (The astoundingly funny Timothy Dalton), and his nefarious musings reaffirm Nicholas' suspicions that not is all as it seems in Sandford.

Wow, if you though Shaun of The Dead was good, you ain't seen nothing yet. Hot Fuzz fires on all cylinders, simply refusing to let up. The jokes come thick and fast (Though never so much that we lose sight of the characters and what makes them important to the extremely well-realised plot. Once again, Wright and Pegg (With co-conspirator Frost) have crafted a brilliant comedy, that blends a human touch, a parody of action stereotypes, and a loving homage to the same with little to no effort. It's astonishing really, that the trio could so effortlessly give us a fantastic, highly original plot, while stuffing it to the gills with references, both parody and homage, and never bloat the film, or descend into mean-spiritedness. And that's what truly great comedy should be. Whether it's an original tale, or a take off a genre, comedy should strive to be satiric, but never haughty, and that's exactly what Wright and co. have achieved.

Let's start with the script, shall we? Hot Fuzz is a true original, with a plot that both recalls Bond in it's absurd amount of twists and false finishes, while simultaneously shaking off these inspirations, and coming into it's own as a brilliantly barmy tale of corruption, and friendship. The characters are all well-fleshed out (Well, the ones that need to/should be fleshed out are), and most resolve their stories in fitting, oft-hilarious ways. Nicholas' character development is extremely satisfying, as is his relationship with Danny, one that grows and matures as they learn to trust and rely on each other. The scenarios, villains, and plotting are brilliantly-conceived, proving how adept Pegg and Wright are at building their universe, and the characters therein organically. The dialogue (Often the most important trait in a comedy) is, much like Shaun of The Dead, comparable to Tarantino or P.T. Anderson in it's effortlessly natural flow, and easily human nature. The characters are at once real, and highly fictional, finding themselves in absurd situations, but always retaining that essential human quality.

Then there's Wright, and his way with the camera. Edgar Wright has made a name for himself with his wonderful way of telling a story through subtle camerawork (In Shaun of The Dead, the camera thrust us into the action, making us like a slightly more in-the-know part of the story). Here, subtlety is thrown out the window, disregarded in favour of balls-to-the-walls insanity, worthy of Michael Bay himself. And that's precisely where the inspiration comes from: Wright is taking off the classically despised style of action film-making whereby directors use an overabundance of cuts, sickness-inducing mobility, and a highly-desaturated colour palette to convey the gravity of the action. The final shootout in the film (Which had me aching with laughter, I might add), is all of the above, but executed with such aplomb that one would never make the connection between Bay's ridiculous camera-angles, and Wright's inspired action choreography. If there's anything to be gleaned from Wright's action directing (He often let's the sloppy guard fall, unmasking himself as a pretty talented actioner), it's that 2015's Ant Man is in good hands.

Of course, who could forget about the acting? Pegg and Frost deliver all the bromantic vibes we could ask for, never letting their easy chemistry fall in the rush of punchlines and payoffs. Both are such hugely-skilled comedians that there is never a moment where a joke falls flat, never a moment where one fails the other on-screen, and that is an enormous part of their appeal: The brilliance of their pairing lies in how perfectly comfortable they are in each other's company (And on front of Wright's camera). The supporting cast is similarly fantastic. Jim Broadbent proves why he is one of Britain's premiere actors, but surprisingly adds little to the comedic proceeding, in favour of the dramatic scenes (This will all be explained by the end, though). Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall steal all their scenes with ease, thanks to their surprising chemistry (It rivals that of Pegg and Frost, who spend much more of the film's running time on screen). Olivia Colman, though in a small role, has a number of memorable lines (Mostly the blunt, humorous innuendo). The real show-stealer though, is Dalton. His performance just oozes menace, and he might as well be wearing a top hat, and twirling his moustache. He radiates an aura of confident, villainous charm, making him a magnetic presence on the screen, and the script perfectly integrates his character into the proceedings. A brief appearance from David Threlfall (Shameless' Frank Gallagher, and all-round magnificent actor) is also note-worthy in it's hilarity.

If I were to criticise anything in Hot Fuzz, I suppose it would be the above-mentioned directorial work. While in my eyes it was a clever take-off of notoriously bad action choreography, to anyone else it may come off simply as Wright being unable to properly execute action correctly. The previously touched-upon colour palette and shaky camera-work could certainly be a turn-off for those unable to stick it (Or at least, appreciate the attempted parody). If I were to really take a stab at the film, I could accuse it of being a bit taped together, and surmise that the set-pieces, and moments do not flow together very well, giving the film a sense of shoddy construction. The defense of that, however, is simply the film's relentless comedy, (And satisfying pace), which allows one to overlook any inconsistencies (And trust me, Airplane had 'em), and rate Hot Fuzz a deserved five stars.

And that's exactly what Hot Fuzz is: A comedy masterpiece, akin to Airplane, and The Naked Gun is it's nonstop hilarity, and Tropic Thunder or Walk Hard in it's clever references and callbacks. I feel it would do this film a disservice to rate it anything less than five stars, as Hot Fuzz may just be the finest, funniest, and perhaps defining comedy of the 2000's.

Final Grade: A+.