Cocked, Loaded, and One Hell of a Ride
Hot Fuzz / Daniel Carlson
Shaun of the Dead is arguably the best zombie movie you will ever see, because it attacks its subject with such love and verve that it’s almost impossible not to smile. The jokes come as fast as the gore (and there is plenty of both), but the film never feels like a parody or a spoof; rather, it’s both a horror film and a comedy, in equal and loving measure. Director Edgar Wright, who co-wrote the 2004 film with star Simon Pegg, never let the movie slip too far into either genre, and he also never insulted the intelligence of the audience, insisting instead that the viewer keep up with the dialogue as well as the action and willingly enter a fresh new cinematic world. Wright, Pegg, and co-star Nick Frost continue that grand tradition with Hot Fuzz, a gleeful, frenetic, blood-soaked, hilarious love letter to the swaggering action films of the past 20 years, and the result is, well, awesome. If it’s not as streamlined as its predecessor, that’s more a fault of the genre and its inherent complexities than any downfall of the creative team. The principals involved infuse Hot Fuzz with the same brand of joy they brought to Shaun of the Dead, crafting a film that is thoroughly an action film as well as completely comedic. And, like I said, it’s awesome.
PC Nicholas Angel (Pegg) is an overachieving, hard-nosed constable in London, where his arrest average is 400% higher than those of his fellow officers. Working with cinematographer Jess Hall (Stander) and Shaun of the Dead editor Chris Dickens, Wright quickly establishes the same kind of rapid-cut, zoom-heavy mini-montages he used in Shaun of the Dead, right down to the sounds of whipping wind and thumping bass when someone does something as mundane as hang their jacket on a hook. It was gimmick that fired up their zombie flick, but it fits even better here, along with all the other bombastic nods to the action genre. Nick does so well in London that he’s promoted to sergeant but given the boot, assigned to the podunk village of Sandford, a sleepy town in the West Country that hasn’t seen an actual recorded murder in 20 years. His cottage isn’t ready to live in, so he crashes at a local hotel and heads for the pub, where he meets the first of many, many supporting players in the film, including pub owner Roy (Peter Wight) and his wife, Mary (Julia Deakin). They’re kind, somewhat intellectually dull, and Nick moves quickly through the pub like a man on a mission, dispatching a few minors who’ve wandered in and rubbing pretty much everyone the wrong way. It’s not a pointless sequence, and in fact introduces a few smaller clues in what will be the film’s real mystery, but even Wright’s sure hand can’t keep the pace from occasionally flagging. Shaun of the Dead ran a relatively compact 100 minutes, largely because the script could build the character embroidery right into its extremely simple premise: Zombies attack London. But Hot Fuzz runs a full 2 hours because it naturally takes longer for the story to move Nick to the boonies, introduce all the other cast members (and there are, I reiterate, quite a few), and settle him into his new life before amping up the criminal investigation that’s bound to come. The next morning at the station, Inspector Butterman (Jim Broadbent) introduces Nick to the rest of the squad, including a pair of snotty detectives both named Andy (Paddy Considine, Rafe Spall), as well as Butterman’s own bumbling son, Danny (Frost), a harmless oaf of an officer who quickly becomes infatuated with what he assumes must have been Nick’s endless high-stakes adventures in London. The film’s energy is elevated with Nick and Danny’s partnership, as Pegg and Frost’s natural chemistry pushes the duo forward, with Pegg playing the exasperated big brother to Frost’s eager but clueless child. It’s almost exactly what they did in Shaun of the Dead, but hey, go with what works, I guess. And it does.
Eventually, the main plot kicks in: A local couple is brutally murdered, and though Nick suspects foul play, the rest of the constabulary predictably assumes the death to be accidental. Soon enough, more “accidents” start to occur, each one somehow more graphic than the one before. It’s all extremely by the book: One rogue cop out to find the killer despite the flaws of the crooked system, etc. But it’s the peculiar nature of Wright and Pegg’s combination mockery-homage that they can use the most basic of action-thriller plot lines and still infuse it with a few fresh twists, mainly by going for the slightly absurd story developments that most typical police films would avoid. Nick goes after the most obvious suspect, the insidious local supermarket owner, Simon Skinner (Timothy Dalton), and just where Skinner’s allegiances lie and how the investigation pans out is one of the ways the film stays original.
Which is not to say that Wright is all about reinventing the genre. No, Hot Fuzz is a buddy-cop flick to the core, and the third act is basically just a series of violent shootouts through the streets of town, with Pegg and Frost doing their best imitations of Bad Boys. Yet even as they run around blowing things and people into tiny pieces, the pair remains self-aware of what’s actually going on. Danny is a hardcore action fan, and many of the exchanges in the fight scenes are direct references to Point Break and other “classics” he forced Nick to watch. Danny and Nick even talk during a gunfight about what puns they’ve used when dispatching of villains, but they’re not doing it with disdain: They’re doing it with a love built on profound respect. Pegg and Wright genuinely like the action films that have given birth to Hot Fuzz, which makes their film a happy one instead of the sarcastic, cruel, and downright boring spoofs and parodies that Hollywood typically churns out.
Pegg is also surprisingly convincing as an officer; he hired a personal trainer in order to become lean enough to play a man of the law, and while it takes some getting used to that the slope-shouldered guy with average looks is the film’s action hero, Pegg’s commitment to the role and the dozens of bravado-filled films that inspired it makes it all work. Frost is again perfect as the sidekick, and the pair give plenty of nods to Shaun of the Dead, from a fantastic slapstick riff on the fence-jumping scene to Danny’s cheerful “Yeeeeah, Roy!” when he orders a beer at the pub, and several others. The film flies along on a score from David Arnold (Casino Royale) and other instrumental segments lifted from films like Point Break and Lethal Weapon 3, as well as a solid, fist-pumping selection of Britrock. I’d be perfectly happy if Wright, Pegg, and Frost kept making movies like theirs every 3 years.
“Our rule is that we don’t ever want to just take the piss,” Pegg has said. “We always try to write a joke with a smile on our face, never a sneer.” That’s a far better way to summarize the film’s essence than I could come up with. Hot Fuzz is a comedy, yes, but never stoops to the level of parody: No character on screen is ever pretending to be anyone other than themselves, and despite the wealth of jokes, none of them are ever meant to do anything other than pay loving tribute to the films that have come before. Violence aside, there’s an odd sweetness in the film that’s often lacking from most comedies, and it makes Hot Fuzz more than just a goof on police thrillers; it’s a great film, all on its own.
Daniel Carlson is the managing editor of Pajiba and a low-level employee at a Hollywood industry magazine. You can visit his blog, Slowly Going Bald.
Fracture | | TV Set, The
Comments
Finally! I've been waiting all day for this review and it does not disapoint. I'm so glad this turned out well. I saw a review for it at 'The Host' and was super excited. I haven't seen 'Shawn of the Dead' yet, but this review makes me think I must. Yeah! EXCITED!
Posted by: MaliceAlice at April 20, 2007 9:18 PM
I'm going to see this. Loved SoD and that earned these guys much goodwill in my book.
Posted by: BarbadoSlim at April 20, 2007 9:19 PM
Loved it, and your review just reiterates my feeelings in a far more eloquent form. I like the way it's sweet. Ignore the fact that they're in a comedy and they're not going to kill the stars - I was genuinely worried that Danny and Nick were going to get hurt. I cared about them.
I cannot, cannot, cannot for the life of me believe I missed that Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall played the Andes. In America is one of my favourite movies, dammit. I blame the moustaches.
"You've got a moustache."
"Yeaaaaaah, I know."
Posted by: Sarah at April 20, 2007 9:29 PM
Something I really enjoyed was that, like "Grindhouse", a lot of things that made me cackle madly weren't punchlines but ridiculousness played straight, and pitch perfect. As with Jeff Fahey's grave closeup appraising Freddy Rodriguez's prowess, so it was with a shot of Paddy Considine's face inside Skinner's store toward the end of the movie. It's there for you to recognize as a perfect replica, but also to acknowledge it's inherent absurdity. They're both kinda like really deadpan and subtle Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker movies. In fact, I'm still waiting for Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino to own up to their love of "The Kentucky Fried Movie".
Plus, the fact that both of these movies totally *do* it. "Hot Fuzz" lets its balls out, and there's something very amusing in that too. "Oh god, they're actually doing this action setpiece!....and doing it WELL!" And I'm laughing my head off at how much the filmmakers and myself are enjoying the moment.
Posted by: Jay at April 20, 2007 9:48 PM
OH GOD. I did read the grammar and spelling comments earlier today and somehow.....somehow...I did an its/it's in my comment here. I want to apologize for my oversight to all present. I swear I know better.
Oh and don't feel too bad, Sarah. I knew Paddy was in it, I'd seen a still, but still didn't remember it was him until the credits. Somehow I wasn't thrown by Rafe Spall, but upon reading what you said I suddenly realized I didn't recognize him at all in "Don't". I blame the...uh.....compressed anamorphic....or something.
Posted by: Jay at April 20, 2007 9:59 PM
LOL Jay. Not everyone minds--I might lift my eyebrow when I see them in a published article or in an essay that is supposed to be proofread and graded for quality, but context is everything, and typoes in informal, off-the-cuff comments threads stopped bugging this grammar nazi circa 1998 or so. We all make 'em.
Posted by: Ranylt at April 20, 2007 10:08 PM
Wait, Rafe Spall was in "Don't"? That's it, I'm going to the optometrist tomorrow. Either that or it was the ... compressed anamorphic ... in my theatre too ...
(To be fair, I don't think any shot in "Don't" lasted longer than 2 seconds even at the beginning, a factor which was the sole fault I could find in Hot Fuzz. I get that it's an homage, but it's an homage to a style which means I can't see what the hell's going on in the fight!)
Posted by: Sarah at April 20, 2007 10:10 PM
I just saw this movie about two hours ago and I'm still smiling and laughing about it. It was truly great... this review hits the nail on the head.
Posted by: Eva at April 20, 2007 10:23 PM
"Wait, Rafe Spall was in "Don't"?"
Yeah, it just came to me. The clip on YouTube that I just checked that's fullscreen actually has him as its thumbnail. I recognized Jason Isaacs and Nick Frost immediately but then read a Wikipedia page saying that Simon Pegg and Emily Booth were in it. When I went back 9 hours later to see it again on April 7 I still couldn't see him, but I saw her, and finally my friend at work on Monday said he has a bandaged head and is being menaced with a red hot poker.
I've now done what I knew was inevitable and went out and bought "Shaun", kicking myself to "don't just rent it again, schmuck. It's only ten bucks!".
Also, Timothy Dalton is the best "who knew?" funny casting I've seen since Patrick Stewart in "Jeffrey". I hope Timothy actually runs with it a bit. Maybe he could be brought on board along with Bill Nighy for whatever comes next.
Posted by: Jay at April 20, 2007 10:50 PM
"Shaun of the Dead is arguably the best zombie movie you will ever see..."
If you only see zombie films produced after the year 2000. Not to knock Shaun of the Dead, since I do love that film and have watched it at least a dozen times on DVD (not to mention the three times I saw it in theaters), but I don't see how an argument could be made that it's the best zombie movie. So many classics that came before, like Night of the Living Dead or the original Dawn of the Dead far surpass what Pegg's little farce was capable of, though his little farce will go down as a classic in its own right.
I am excited to see Hot Fuzz, however, and cannot wait to laugh my ass off at what will inevitably be a wonderful mix of strong characters, high brow, and low brow humor that plays true to the rules of action films while completely subverting what they are all about.
Can't wait.
Posted by: Robert at April 20, 2007 11:34 PM
What does 'exasperated' mean?
Posted by: BlackWolf at April 20, 2007 11:41 PM
exasperate
verb [T]
to cause anger or extreme annoyance in (someone)
His assistant's carelessness is exasperating him.
(from Cambridge Dictionary of American English)
Posted by: Jay at April 20, 2007 11:54 PM
Rafe Spall was hilarious in Shaun of the Dead (as Noel, the tall kid working with Shaun), i couldn't wait to see him in Hot Fuzz, especially paired with Paddy Considine.
On a side note, did you know that Cate Blanchett plays Nicholas Angel's girlfriend?
Posted by: kim at April 20, 2007 11:55 PM
Seeing it this weekend (no, this hardly spoils anything, I am a huge fan Pegg and Frost - one of the few DVDs I own is Shawn...) - thanks for the amp!
Posted by: damien walder at April 21, 2007 12:04 AM
Just saw it today...loved it. Smiling the whole time. I loved the useless intense closeups of things, such as the pouring of cranberry juice. Haha
Posted by: Kevin Longrie at April 21, 2007 1:13 AM
Just got back from the theater. I love this movie so very much.
Posted by: Andre at April 21, 2007 2:15 AM
This movie is effing fantastic. I caught a late show tonight, loved every second of it. I could easily catch this again before it leaves the theater.
Being a HUGE fan of 'SotD' and "Spaced" (the group's 01-02 TV effort which is TOTALLY worth getting on Region 2 DVD, I promise), I was ridiculously excited about this movie, and it did not disappoint. I had fun recognizing (by face if not name) some of the zombies from 'Shaun' and a major player in Spaced; very cool for an unabashed geek such as myself.
And I can easily see myself screaming "Punch that shit!" every time I drive anywhere now.
Posted by: Cody at April 21, 2007 3:05 AM
Dammit, 99-01 for Spaced (yeah, some fan, huh). Shite. Anyway, it's all fried gold.
Posted by: Cody at April 21, 2007 3:13 AM
It's been out over here in the UK for ages and I thought it was FANTASTIC. Not quite as good as Shaun of the Dead, but I was laughing throughout, as were the rest of the audience.
I'm not normally a comedy film fan (I find them too patronising and slapstick oriented, a lot of the time, and I HATE 'embarrassment humour') But I LOVED this film
(and I now have a little bit of a crush on Simon Pegg, what with him being sort of hot in this film.)
Posted by: Caitlin at April 21, 2007 3:23 AM
Oh, OH, thank you!
"Shaun of the Dead" is in my top five of all time and I was terrified that "Hot Fuzz" would be a let down, even after reading many other positive reviews. It wasn't until now, when the movie has an 'Official Pajiba Seal of Approval' (tm) that I will happily plunk down my 10 bucks to see it.
The above comment is 100% irony free and based on my love for all that is Pajiba.
Posted by: Spender at April 21, 2007 5:03 AM
You all should start campaigning BBC America to bring back episodes of Spaced. It stars both Nick Frost and Simon Pegg and is every fanboy (or girl's) dream show. Actually, it's funny as hell for anyone. Don't think you can get it on region 1 so maybe bit torrent it? If you believe in that sort of thing. ;)
Posted by: Amanda at April 21, 2007 5:09 AM
Superb film. Living in an English village as I do, I could almost pick out people I know. Plus, making the supermarket a Somerfield is truly the best gag of the lot.
Hopefully this will see Timothy Dalton get steady work for a while. Superb performance.
And is there anything Paddy Considine can't do?!
Posted by: Craig at April 21, 2007 8:36 AM
Ok, y'all have convinced me to finally see "Shaun of the Dead." Admittedly I've been avoiding it because the one genre that rubs me the wrong way is horror comedy (and yes, I've seen all the classics), but you've worn me down and urged me to consider the possibility that horror comedies are getting smarter and more effective. Plus, "Severance" has been calling me since I saw the trailer--it's like a one-two hit of interest.
And "Hot Fuzz" sounds like "Crank" on Brit-crack, so I'm all over this.
Posted by: Ranylt at April 21, 2007 8:57 AM
Caitlin, Simon Pegg is completely hot. Feel no shame. He's very smart and funny, and also I have a thing for redheads.
kim - I was wondering who that was! My guess was that it was one of their collaborators from before; there were about 6 people in my theatre, and we all laughed when Bill Nighy and Martin Freeman appeared in the first 30 seconds.
Posted by: Sarah at April 21, 2007 10:15 AM
I don't love zombie movies like I love action movies, so I've been looking forward to this!
Posted by: Meander at April 21, 2007 10:53 AM
Screw Bad Boys, those guys were imitating Bad Boys II. Talk about a ridiculous movie...
Posted by: The Stew at April 21, 2007 12:04 PM
Bill Nighty's the man. He's just incredibly funny at being so serious. BUT i still think he was criminally underused in Hot Fuzz.
i just love how he says: "You've been making us look bad". And of course: "uuummh. yes i can. i'm the chief inspector."
i think i've seen it too many times.
Posted by: kim at April 21, 2007 12:23 PM
I went to see this film a few months back when it came out in the UK, and beforehand I honestly wasn't looking forward to it as I wasn't too impressed with Shaun of the Dead.
It was FANTASTIC - one of the funniest films I've seen in years. The chemistry between Frost and Pegg really shines through, and although the plot gets a little turgid in the middle the whole thing is pretty much a romp from start to finish. There are several genuinely hilarious moments, and a Cate Blanchett cameo if you look carefully during the first 15 minutes.
Posted by: Kel at April 21, 2007 12:43 PM
The film was released in Australia several weeks ago, as such I've already seen it 3 times. It seriously has to be one of the best films that I've ever seen.
I would recomend that everyone see this film, multiple times. It is just as funny on the 3rd viewing as the first.
Posted by: John at April 21, 2007 12:53 PM
Wasn't that bad of a movie, I had two major problems with it though:
1)The commercials for this movie completely, absolutely, undeniably spoiled the entire plot of the film for me. I won't ruin anything here for those lucky enough to miss the ads, but I more or less knew exactly what was coming everytime... which was a damn shame.
2)What made Shaun of the Dead so great for me was how(as mentioned here) it wasn't a spoof but rather an original story that was funny on it's own accountability and not because it used the Zombie "genre"'s conventions as a comedic crutch. Hot Fuzz however, felt much more of a spoof, save for a few moments. For the guys that had the sensibility to make a fake trailer about how predictable genre movies can be (Grindhouse's "Don't"), they sure didn't take many strides to stray from the norm with this movie. You can argue all you want about how the action genre limits their possibilities, but I totally think they could have done so much more.
Posted by: eastshore4 at April 21, 2007 3:36 PM
Fantastic movie, epic awesomeness. I'm still laughing
Posted by: AD at April 21, 2007 5:15 PM
Ok, I also just saw this movie tonight and LOVED it. I know a few people will disagree, but I really did like it even more than Shaun of the Dead and it really was quite endearing. Plus the gore was fantastic-gross.
Posted by: Lizzy at April 22, 2007 3:21 AM
As well as an uncredited Cate Blanchett, Peter Jackson's in there too.
Posted by: Craig at April 22, 2007 8:30 AM
I'm a Brit who saw this a while back, I'll just add my voice to the choir of 'It rocked'
I can only wonder what Edgar Wright'll do with Ant-Man, beyond that fact he'll do something better than Ghost Rider
Posted by: conexus at April 22, 2007 10:19 AM
Though there wasn't much doubt, I truly must see this film. Fortunately, unlike Shaun, at least Hot Fuzz is released in my frikkin' state.
Posted by: Matt P. at April 22, 2007 11:24 AM
We were in tears the whole movie. I know I'll have to see it again because I missed some things from laughing too hard.
What I want to know is who told Simon Pegg to go and get hot? He made me want to pack my bags and move to the UK.
Posted by: Ciji at April 22, 2007 4:43 PM
OK, I may be another wet rag here... I guess I'm ready for the onslaught.
I agree with 'eastshore4' as saying this movie was simply OK, and did not enjoy it as much as Mr. Carlson did. I did find this movie funny, although it pales in comparison to SoD. Don't go expecting to see SoD 2, or you will be disappointed. If you enjoy buddy cop action flicks like those referenced throughout the film, you will enjoy Hot Fuzz. I felt as this film was very slow for the first 90 minutes and was thoroughly predictable throughout.
I think that this would be best as a renter, and also think the movie ran a bit long. I really want to, but I just can't label this movie as 'awesome' or 'fantastic', just a lot better than some of the other crap that is out there right now (reference 'Are We There Yet' or 'Vacancy').
Posted by: RG at April 22, 2007 5:04 PM
For the reference spotters, look for the bargain bin dvd copy of Shaun of the Dead. And Nick Frost also appears in Don't, as does Simon Pegg (apparently, though I didn't spot him). I think most of Wright's regulars got a gig.
Best movie I have seen this year and the best action movie in years.
Posted by: Dave Shepherd at April 22, 2007 5:12 PM
Many times I feel a bit guilty about not being more critical of the entertainment I take in...but I have drunk the Pegg/Frost/Wright kool-aid, and it is pretty tasty. I haven't even seen Shaun of the Dead yet, but a friend introduced Spaced to me a while ago (which is wonderful), and I went into Hot Fuzz pretty much expecting that I would enjoy it. And I totally wasn't let down. Everyone involved just seemed like they were having so much fun (which, admittedly, sort of pulled me out of the movie's narrative flow, but it was just so much...fun to watch). I'm not even that much of an action film fan, but the car chases, gun fights, etc.-- unadulterated fun.
**Also, BBCAmerica will be airing Spaced's first two episodes starting at 4:00 am tomorrow (Monday). So, if anyone in America is interested in watching some of the show and has either a recording device or a bad case of insomnia, there you go. They're also on youtube, the last time I checked.
Posted by: Jenna at April 22, 2007 6:50 PM
Sorry, that's 4:00 am central standard time on BBCAmerica. Carry on. And watch Spaced, if you haven't already.
Posted by: Jenna at April 22, 2007 6:53 PM
A movie I sadly had to watch before reading the review, but only because I knew it couldn't disappoint. And lo and behold, it didn't. Go see this movie.
Posted by: Graceful Dave at April 22, 2007 8:50 PM
A question for the Shaun of the Dead fans:
I've never seen a zombie movie and I'm not a fan of horror and gore in general. Would I still be able to enjoy Shaun... for its funniness, or should I skip it (since I'm not into what it loves/spoofs) and just see Hot Fuzz?
Posted by: Heqit at April 23, 2007 10:32 AM
Heqit: There are some things that wouldn't be as funny to you as they would to a fan of horror/zombie movies, but yes you certainly would still be able to enjoy it. Definitely see Shaun of the Dead.
Posted by: Joe at April 23, 2007 10:56 AM
I'm excited about this movie! Thanks so much for the review. I know I'm going to see this one as soon as I can!
Posted by: zambonigirl at April 23, 2007 12:28 PM
Hequit, I agree with Joe. I hate horror and zombie movies, and I own Shaun of the Dead on DVD. Awesome movie.
Posted by: lerberson at April 23, 2007 12:32 PM
Joe, Ierberson -- thanks. I kind of wanted to check it out before, but was leery b/c of the gore/zombieness. I'll definitely add it to my queue now.
Posted by: Heqit at April 23, 2007 1:16 PM
Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT!!! Went to a preview screening and the whole theatre were laughing our collective asses off!!! We immediately recognized Cate Blanchett from her amazing eyes behind that mask, but didn't recognize Peter Jackson until I looked it up on IMDb. Also, loved picking out different zombies from SoD in various roles. Can't wait to see this one again, and to see what else these very talented, very funny guys do next!!!!
Posted by: dammitjanet at April 23, 2007 2:21 PM
I saw this Saturday night, and it was fantastic. I did like it better than Shawn of the Dead, which was also great, but Hot Fuzz was just so much fun. I love when the entire audience is applauding and cheering at the end.
Posted by: Brianne at April 23, 2007 5:47 PM
LOVED IT!
My friend and I were laughing so loud!
My fav: "By the power of Greystone"
[It's actually "By the power of Greyskull." It's a "He-Man" shout-out. --Ed.]
Posted by: Trixie at April 23, 2007 10:34 PM
So, as I said I would, I saw it.
YEEEEEAAAAH!
I felt a few pounds lighter afterwards from having so much to laugh at... putting Steve Coogan, Bill Nighy and Tim Bevan in the one scene was as much as anything else, a warning: we take making you laugh very seriously, so do take care.
Sad there was no love interest... oh, wait, there's the two guys. Right! I thought that was Cate Blanchet! Thanks, commenters!
Jim Broadbent and Edward Woodward (WICKER MAN!!! Ah HA!) were also welcome...
Posted by: damien walder at April 24, 2007 12:15 AM
Crap! I knew I'd get that wrong! Too much tarzan?
Still funniest thing I've seen in ages!
Posted by: Trixie at April 24, 2007 2:06 AM
I HATED this movie. It made me sick watching it due to the horrific filming and slapped together editing. Blah. BIG HUGE DISSAPOINTMENT. With Hot Fuzz and Pajiba. Double Blah.
Posted by: Elizabeth at April 24, 2007 5:03 PM
Saw it opening night, and loved it! Spot on review. I love that even after "Shaun of the Dead" they still managed to make my jaw drop open with the incredibly violent. detailed and hilarious death scenes.
Posted by: Stacy at April 24, 2007 5:59 PM
Elizabeth, the choppy editing and multiple "shock" endings are part of the genre. I guess no film is for everybody.
Pegg and Co. say they were inspired by Hollywood action films, but don't mention their British influences. Aside from Wicker Man, I would guess Hammer, H.P. Lovecraft, and Vincent Price horror films, as well as TV shows like The Prisoner and The Avengers. The Avengers was particularly full of seemingly innocent villagers and nefarious activities.
I was particularly thrilled to see Billie Whitelaw. But where were Honor Blackman and Diana Rigg?
Posted by: Janis at April 25, 2007 1:51 AM
Oh, and Nicholas Pegg is the hotness. He gets angry really, really well.
I'm not sure why I was surprised. Clive Owen and Daniel Craig aren't Hollywood girly boys either.
Posted by: Janis at April 25, 2007 2:05 AM
That would be SIMON Pegg. Though I would be equally attracted to a hybrid.
Posted by: Janis at April 25, 2007 11:09 AM
AWESOME FILM!!!!! (Good review too!)
I saw this movie last night with a friend, he & I laughed ourselves sick. I wanted to stand up and CHEER during the gunfight at the end, that was GREAT!!!
If you like action movies, SEE THIS FILM! I am hoping to see it again in the theaters at least once, maybe even two or three times more. :)
Posted by: Camille at April 27, 2007 4:13 PM
Was I the only one tickled by the acronym N.W.A.? Or maybe I'm just too big an gangsta rap fan...
Posted by: ciji at April 29, 2007 5:24 AM
I saw Hot Fuzz last night and it was HILARIOUS!!! The whole theatre could not even catch a breath we were all laughing so hard and left laughing. Fantastic I am seeing it again and buying it once it is out. Simon Pegg is the new hot!
Posted by: Brenda at April 29, 2007 2:02 PM
Ciji - You weren't the only one! I giggled every time I saw or heard NWA mentioned. Stay for the credits and listen to the them song that is a ripoff of Straight outta Compton. I was crying I was laughing so hard!
Gotta get the soundtrack!
Posted by: Trixie at April 30, 2007 12:38 AM
"I HATED this movie. It made me sick watching it due to the horrific filming and slapped together editing. Blah. BIG HUGE DISSAPOINTMENT. With Hot Fuzz and Pajiba. Double Blah.
Posted by: Elizabeth at April 24, 2007 5:03 PM"
Not to be a dick, Elizabeth...but I'm not surprised you didn't like this movie. I have found that most of the people who comment on this site are rather intelligent. They are the kind of people who wouldn't spell "disappointment" incorrectly, for example. I hate stooping to the level of attacking one's spelling abilities to undermine his/her views; but the error coupled with your ridiculous comments led me to draw the inevitable conclusion that you didn't like the movie because you didn't understand it. I saw it this weekend. It was amazing. Everything in it had a purpose and the editing was great--distinct scenes were seamlessly tied together with sound, which I thought was so well done. Great movie...go see it!
Posted by: Sarah at April 30, 2007 3:05 PM
I saw this movie. I loved this movie. And slope-shouldered or not, Simon Pegg is so effing hot, I swear. And in a cop uniform! Yes!
Posted by: chriso at May 1, 2007 3:38 PM
I'm not a fan of action films or zombie/horror and I loved SoD and Hot Fuzz. I am still laughing to myself about certain parts and I saw HF on Saturday. Sooo good.
Posted by: Jenn at May 1, 2007 4:31 PM
Was supposed to see this right when it came out, but got caught up in other shit and finally just saw it after the vacation from hell...and it was the only thing to make me smile and laugh my ass off all week. Hilarious, witty, with nice eye candy (I always thought Simon Pegg was cute, but toss in the police officer uniform and that makes him even hotter) and awesome action sequences. I can't wait for this to come out on DVD.
Posted by: em at May 7, 2007 12:26 PM
I'm not a fan of action movies and I don't laugh at comedies (let's face it, most of the Hollywood-manufactured crap simply isn't funny), but I laughed my ass off watching this.
Hilarious, clever, engaging, a must-see.
Posted by: Rian at May 14, 2007 9:50 AM
Oh ciji, it was definitely not just you. I could barely contain my howls of glee every time the camera panned past that N.W.A. name plate.
Posted by: raucousraven at May 21, 2007 8:49 PM
I finally got to see it and loved it. Pegg and Frost are great together, and I cracked up all the way through it. Even the gore scenes were so hysterically over the top that I couldn't stop laughing, particularly the scene at the church. I must say, though, that it got quite creepy near the end of the second act, when the truth behind the mystery was revealed. It was almost a disconcerting genre switch, to the small-town horror film.
I am a little amused at the idea that people might skip Shaun altogether and see Fuzz instead because of fears that the former might be too gory. The gore in Hot Fuzz seemed much more extreme to me than in SotD, although that may be because one expects gore in a zombie film.
Posted by: Craig at August 14, 2007 1:09 AM