May 13, 2007 -- “Hot Fuzz” is an inspired comedy that pokes fun at the very vulnerable genre of cop buddy movies like “Bad Boys,” “Lethal Weapon” and “Tango and Cash.” This movie takes all the clichés from those films and stands them on their heads. Although it spoofs cop movies, it also shows affection for them and pays tribute to them. At the end, it even becomes one of them, in a funny way, of course.

This film was made by the same people who made the horror film spoof “Shaun of the Dead” and it is just as funny as that film was, if not more so. It stars the same two talented guys, Simon Pegg (who also co-wrote the screenplay with director Edgar Wright) and Nick Frost. They play fellow cops on the police force of the small English village of Sandford. Pegg plays supercop Nicholas Angel, who is transferred from London to Sandford because he is so good he makes all the other cops in his division look bad. Frost plays Danny Butterman, son of the Sandford police chief. Butterman is a big fan of cop movies like “Bad Boys” and “Point Break” and he dreams of being in a big shoot out with the bad guys some day. Angel is also frustrated by the lack of action in the sleepy village where he has been exiled. Then a series of violent deaths which just might be murders arouses Angel's suspicion. Maybe something evil has taken root in Sandford.

The film rolls through all the usual plot points in this kind of film, drinking problems, an obsession with the job, broken relationships, personalities that are wound way too tight, superior officers trying to block investigations, etc. The difference between this spoof and other cop spoofs like “Reno 911!: Miami” “Super Troopers” is that it is more subtle, is a lot closer in tone to the movies it is spoofing and is set in England. It also pokes fun at some aspects of English small village life. The first part of the movie relies on fish-out-of-water humor as the tightly-wound big city cop tries to adjust to small town life. Gradually, the tone shifts as Angel and Butterman become friends and both discover they actually have a lot in common. Gradually, the crime and action increases and it becomes a full-blown action movie with all the usual trimmings, including more comedy. The writing by Pegg and Edgar Wright is very clever. The dialogue is packed with jokes and the script is packed with subtle sight gags and references to other cop movies.

The film is loaded with talented actors, including Bill Nighy, Timothy Dalton, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine and others. Care is taken to define even the minor characters. The relationship between Angel and Butterman is allowed to evolve, and both characters become more interesting. In addition to the light comedy, there are some startlingly gruesome scenes, severed heads on a highway and a large stone which falls on a man's head, causing the headless body to stagger around for a few seconds. The f-word is also used a number of times in the film. None of that seemed necessary, unless the filmmakers really wanted an “R” rating for their movie. The more gruesome aspects of the film reminded me a bit of Monty Python humor. All in all, though, gore, obscenities and all, this is the best comedy of the year so far. It rates a B+.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2007 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at .