Hot Fuzz

It’s a shame Hot Fuzz didn’t get more exposure in North America. In the UK, this film was a smashing success; here it was barely seen. I think the name of the movie had something to do with it. To some it sounds dirty, even if it is referring to the police. I would say maybe it was because Americans aren’t huge fans of British humour, but that wouldn’t explain the success of Snatch or Monty Python. In fact, Shaun of the Dead, which was made by the Hot Fuzz people, did very well. So colour me confused.

Hot Fuzz is the very definition of homage. In my media class, I sometimes talk about the differences between parody and homage. A parody is often more specific and mocking in tone. Classic parodies are found in scenes from Airplane!, The Naked Gun, Hot Shots, and to a lesser degree Scary Movie. An homage is more respectful in tone and looks more at the style of filmmaking. Simon Pegg (Mission Impossible III), Nick Frost and director Edgar Wright have taken the big-budget Bruckheimer genre and turned it on its ear. Not only do they poke fun at the action genre, but they start to revel in it. You can tell that these people enjoy American action flicks, just like they enjoyed the zombie genre in Shaun of the Dead. I also enjoy the stereotypical summer action blockbuster, so this film was an absolute treat to watch.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a comedy dream team. They play perfectly off each other and have instant chemistry. In real life, these two have been friends for years and used be roommates, or flatmates as they would say in England, and it shows on the screen. With them are a number of gifted British actors including Martin Freeman (Hitchhiker, Love Actually, UK’s The Office), Bill Nighy (Hitchhiker, Love Actually, Pirates II & III), Jim Broadbent (Narnia, Gangs of New York, Moulin Rouge), Timothy Dalton (James Bond), and Cate Blanchett (Babel, Aviator, LOTR). Okay, Timothy Dalton is usually not considered a great actor, but he is definitely fun to see channeling Daniel Day-Lewis’ Bill the Butcher for this film. In any case, the acting is top notch and fun to watch.

The directing and camera-work of Edgar Wright is also masterful. Wright uses the Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels) style of editing to establish scenes and activities. Quick, close up flashes of objects to get you to the scenes quicker. And as we all know when it comes to comedy, quicker is better.

As a slight warning, there is quite a long lead up to the intensely funny showdown at the end of the film. There are a lot of thing introduced, but everything is there for a huge pay-off later in the film. It’s amazing how a simple sign reading “One Student at a Time Please” can be so funny when it is used near the end of the movie. The last half-hour is where the movie shines. Action movie clichés are demonstrated left and right as a small English town becomes a trigger-happy video game. And if you have seen films like Point Break and Bad Boys, you will definitely share in the glee. When I watch Bruckheimer films I often like to point out the quintessential Michael Bay shot that has the camera do a slow-motion low angle 180 degree arc around the main character as he slowly gets up to face what is ahead. Hot Fuzz nails this shot, it almost brought a tear to my eye.

Hot Fuzz can still be found in a couple of theatres but it’s coming out on DVD August 7. Download or buy it and enjoy, especially if you love the blow-em up action blockbusters as much as I do.

Reviews coming soon: Knocked Up, Ocean’s 13, Evan Almighty, 1408, Live Free or Die Hard