Hot Fuzz (2007)

As always, spoilers below.

Hot Fuzz: the quintessential conglomeration of comedic, campy action movies past.

Also what I call my crotch.

Nick Frost reprises his role as "perpetual man-child" alongside hard-ass police officer (not policeman) Simon Pegg in what I believe is a very worthwhile movie and probably the best that the duo has starred in together.

Let's get started.

Soundtrack/Score:

The soundtrack in this film really didn't stand out for me, good or bad. The music definitely fit the mood of the movie, which was really just trying to over-emulate action movies like Lethal Weapon and Bad Boys. So yeah, the music worked but it doesn't shine for me. If I were thinking of this movie in a month, I don't really have any iconic piece of music to attach to it.

Fuck Tha Police.

Writing/Script:

The writing of Hot Fuzz was done very well. When examining just the story itself I think that it is interesting and fresh. While Hot Fuzz really does try to poke fun at other action movies, the plot is surprisingly refreshing and new. When we look at typical action movies, they generally all follow the same formula. Normal person reluctant to take action has his hand forced as bad guy threatens normal person's family/large amount of people/the world/etc. Normal person takes action to save their interests through feats of violence and/or dumb luck.

I personally have never seen a story quite like Hot Fuzz in any other action film. In an attempt to protect property values, the village people of Sanford create a cult to deal with unwanted nuisances like human statues, children wearing hooded sweatshirts, and people with big houses. Reasonable enough.

Officer Nick Angel (Simon Peg) is sent to Sanford for no other reason than that Bilbo Baggins doesn't like that Angel is doing his job.


What would Gandalf think of this corruption within the police force, Mr. Baggins?

Sanford seems to be a very quiet town until the Neighborhood Watch Alliance starts playing irl Clue and murdering townspeople. Angel eventually discovers that Sanford is being run by a shitty British version of the Illuminati and tries to take them down only to find that everyone who's anyone is actually just a murderous old hag. Huge gun fight ensues throughout the entire town. James Bond gets his face impaled by a mini church. Good triumphs over evil. 


Tis but a flesh wound.

The plot isn't crazy different than other action films admittedly but the element of mystery does add a lot to the story. The film doesn't feel flat like a lot of other action films, even though it purposefully uses action movie tropes heavily throughout.

How Well It Holds Up:

Shot in 2007. Most of the effects were fairly simple. The jaw impaling of 007 up there doesn't look too goofy. I think it'll hold up just fine in years to come. This section will make more sense/impact when I finally get around to reviewing older films.

Something I really liked about Hot Fuzz was its camera work. Staying true to the satirical nature of the film, the cuts were very bulky and heavy handed but purposefully so. The editing made use of hard cuts throughout and I really enjoyed that. The film is choppy and bulky. I like it. It's cool. The violence in the film (there's a lot of it) is also very campy which is very appealing to look at in the least weird way possible.


Scream 5: Revenge of  the Lost Ark

Acting:

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg work really well together. I can't really recall seeing anything with the two of them working together that didn't seem organic. This is, like I said, my favorite movie with the two of them in it. 


The monkey represents their undying friendship.

The supporting cast also delivered a very interesting (good interesting) and quirky performance. The police force had a very British sense of humor (no shit).

What Issues It Tackles:

Responsibility. Ethics. Property values.

I don't think this is a super meaningful movie. Sure, we can learn to find meaning no matter where we are from Nick Angel's quest for justice in Sanford. We can see that anyone can make a difference from Danny's journey from the village idiot to elite crime-stopper. But I think that this movie is best looked at as a satire of all action movies. 

My rating: A strong 7.5.

--Mat 

(Thanks so much to Melissa for the request)

 
Just a 7.5? Are you fookin' kiddin' me?