Scan and Pan
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Hot Fuzz
Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is a London police officer who's so good at his job that he makes his fellow officers look bad, so he's promoted and shipped off to the quiet village of Sandford, where he's teamed with Danny (Nick Frost), the oafish but well-intentioned son of the local police chief (Jim Broadbent). When people start turning up dead in incidents the village leaders consider accidents, Nicholas suspects foul play, and it's up to him and Danny to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Writer/director Edgar Wright and co-writer Pegg serve up a clever action comedy that's a homage to American buddy cop movies and films about British villages where the locals are up to no good. Like Shaun of the Dead, it's an engaging, hilarious spoof that pays careful attention to the details of what it's spoofing, while a friendship between two men delivers some emotional weight. The jokes are neither slapdash nor mocking, but are instead well-constructed and affectionate. Wright and Pegg take their time to carefully set everything up, from the jokes to the mystery to be solved, and it all pays off with a film that's more entertaining than many recent 'serious' action films. Wright's direction of the over the top fantasy violence is spot on. While American parodies like the Scary Movie films take the lowest possible route to laughs, Hot Fuzz is genuinely witty. It also remembers that characterization and plot aren't afterthoughts, they're key ingredients in any good film.
The brash score by David Arnold (Casino Royale), combined with a good selection of songs, provides suitable accompaniment for the on-screen antics. Production designer Marcus Rowland (Shaun of the Dead) and cinematographer Jess Hall (Stander) use the Somerset location to create a naturalistic setting for the unbelievable action, while editor Chris Dickens (Shaun of the Dead) keeps the film well-paced. Despite a two hour running time, it never feels that long, even though there are some slower patches.
Pegg and Frost once again make an engaging team. Pegg in particular has a deft knack for deadpan earnestness that serves him well as the dedicated big city cop who's out of his element in a pastoral setting. Frost meanwhile makes an ideal comedic foil as the earnest Danny, who knows more about Hollywood action films than police work and sees Nicholas as his ticket to living out his action fantasies.
The rest of the cast is good, too, with Broadbent as Danny's father, Timothy Dalton as a slick supermarket owner, Stuart Wilson as the local doctor, Edward Woodward as the head of the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance, and Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall as local detectives who couldn't find a clue if one was gift wrapped for them. Cate Blanchett has a cameo as Nicholas' ex-girlfriend, while Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson appears as a violent Father Christmas.
Hot Fuzz is hilarious, thoroughly entertaining, and recommended.
[4 out of 5 stars]
The creators of Shaun of the Dead return with another film full of mirthful mayhem.
Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is a London police officer who's so good at his job that he makes his fellow officers look bad, so he's promoted and shipped off to the quiet village of Sandford, where he's teamed with Danny (Nick Frost), the oafish but well-intentioned son of the local police chief (Jim Broadbent). When people start turning up dead in incidents the village leaders consider accidents, Nicholas suspects foul play, and it's up to him and Danny to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Writer/director Edgar Wright and co-writer Pegg serve up a clever action comedy that's a homage to American buddy cop movies and films about British villages where the locals are up to no good. Like Shaun of the Dead, it's an engaging, hilarious spoof that pays careful attention to the details of what it's spoofing, while a friendship between two men delivers some emotional weight. The jokes are neither slapdash nor mocking, but are instead well-constructed and affectionate. Wright and Pegg take their time to carefully set everything up, from the jokes to the mystery to be solved, and it all pays off with a film that's more entertaining than many recent 'serious' action films. Wright's direction of the over the top fantasy violence is spot on. While American parodies like the Scary Movie films take the lowest possible route to laughs, Hot Fuzz is genuinely witty. It also remembers that characterization and plot aren't afterthoughts, they're key ingredients in any good film.
The brash score by David Arnold (Casino Royale), combined with a good selection of songs, provides suitable accompaniment for the on-screen antics. Production designer Marcus Rowland (Shaun of the Dead) and cinematographer Jess Hall (Stander) use the Somerset location to create a naturalistic setting for the unbelievable action, while editor Chris Dickens (Shaun of the Dead) keeps the film well-paced. Despite a two hour running time, it never feels that long, even though there are some slower patches.
Pegg and Frost once again make an engaging team. Pegg in particular has a deft knack for deadpan earnestness that serves him well as the dedicated big city cop who's out of his element in a pastoral setting. Frost meanwhile makes an ideal comedic foil as the earnest Danny, who knows more about Hollywood action films than police work and sees Nicholas as his ticket to living out his action fantasies.
The rest of the cast is good, too, with Broadbent as Danny's father, Timothy Dalton as a slick supermarket owner, Stuart Wilson as the local doctor, Edward Woodward as the head of the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance, and Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall as local detectives who couldn't find a clue if one was gift wrapped for them. Cate Blanchett has a cameo as Nicholas' ex-girlfriend, while Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson appears as a violent Father Christmas.
Hot Fuzz is hilarious, thoroughly entertaining, and recommended.
[4 out of 5 stars]
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