DVD Review "Hot Fuzz"

I'm a fan of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. I like them, I like their style of comedy and believe their previous film, "Sean of the Dead", is destined to be a classic. So, I was more than thrilled to see their new film, "Hot Fuzz", was set to lampoon action movies much the same way Shaun had done to horror films.

When I sat down to watch the film, I was in the mood to laugh, much like audiences in comedy clubs: they might laugh at un-funny jokes because of their frame of mind. When I finally got to watch the film, though, it left something to be desired.

This story of this movie is purposely contrived to be just like every other cop/buddy/action film ever made. London supercop, Nick Angel (Pegg), is reassigned to a rural do-nothing town. After a few days patrolling with his new partner (Frost), he comes to realize that all may not be as it seems. He goes on to uncover the town's dark secret, and so on and so on...

If you're a fan of this production team, this movie is tailor made for you. If you're not a fan, or more likely, if you've never even heard of them, you may be in for a bumpy ride. I'm not totally sure that everyone who will see this will realize that it's a straight up comedy. If viewed through a serious action-fan's eye, it may look a bit ludicrous. Director Edgar Wright's now trademark "Boom-Boom-Boom" style of editing (especially in segue scenes- think the quickly edited drug taking parts in "Requiem for a dream") has become something of a gimmick. Where in his previous film it had been a neat addition to the frenetic pace, here it's overused to the point of annoyance. Also, this film seemed to blur the lines between spoofing the action genre and returning back to horror- The masked antagonist in the film was actually pretty damn scary.

Now, let me interject here and congratulate the team behind this film for not phoning in any of the death scenes. This film surpassed my expectations, certainly, in that department. I mean really gory stuff! This, in conjunction with the cultish, rural village setting also made me feel as if the directors were watching a lot of 1970's giallo films while writing this film. All of this, of course, leads to the film as a whole being a bit less accesible to a mainstream audience.

After all of the seemingly negative things I've said about the film, I actually liked it! It was made for people with a prior knowledge of action/thriller/horror films, to be sure, but if you don't know shit about movies (like the film's protagonist, the aptly named "Nick Angel") there is still some stuff you're likely to chuckle about. Notice I said chuckle, not laugh. This one doesn't have quite the belly laughs that "Shaun of the dead" had, but certainly enough to warrant a rental, for most people. All in all I would say, it was decent, and I am still definitely looking forward to this actor/director team's next project.

3 out of 5

*Note: There is an really awesome special feature on George Romero's "Land of the Dead" DVD documenting Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's meeting with Romero, and their eventual cameo appearance in that film. Definitely worth watching, if you get the chance.