Review of Hot Fuzz (2007) by Russell G — 14 Mar 2014

Not everyone has the patience to appreciate this movie, but I love it. It has a rather unusual structure for a comedy involving an intentionally long setup that is dry, for the most part. Slyly this lulls the viewer before erupting into an amazing drawn-out hilarious climax.

It is compression and release at its finest. There are numerous details or subtleties during this buildup. They may only seem mildly humorous or even pointless at the time, but these small details are like seeds that grow into larger laughs later through callbacks, repetition, or by subsequently juxtaposing with exaggerated circumstances.

All of this detail and attention in the writing gives the movie great re-watch value. Each time different things pop out that you previously did not catch or remember. This is the type of richness and quality writing is the mark of a great comedy movie.

The director, Edgar Wright runs a tight ship and makes each scene and every line valuable. This brand of comedy plays off larger than life action movies; it is exceedingly violent and dark in nature, but the playful dynamic of the main two stars offsets this.

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg have a delightful effortless chemistry; they are simply outstanding together. They give some of the darkness a wonderful sense of lightness with their goofy faces and fun-loving attitudes.

You can clearly tell the actors have a blast working together, and it shows how much they loved making this movie. For me, this is the best movie featuring this fantastic duo, and I would even go as far to say that it is one of my favorite comedies ever.