Hot Fuzz

NERD ALERT-- Hot Fuzz is a veritable hotbed for movie nerddom-- it's made with nerds, by nerds and for nerds. I say this with a great deal of respect of course, for it takes quite a bit of dedication to be a true movie nerd. One must be 100% devoted to the watching of films, both popular and obscure, the memorization and regurgitation of key scenes, lines, themes, etc., and a constant desire to discuss the merits of said films. So I'm a movie nerd, wanna fight about it?

A member of the same merry band of modern cinephile directors as Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez (co-directors of Grindhouse, an homage to B-horror movies), Edgar Wright, director of Hot Fuzz, offers with this film his own loving contribution to the Cop movie genre. Just as his 2004 sleeper hit Shaun of the Dead is a hyper-intensified parody/homage to zombie movies, so too is Hot Fuzz both a joking and worshipful take on the cop movies Wright and co-writer/star Simon Pegg so clearly adore.

Hot Fuzz follows the travails of Sgt. Nicholas Angel (Pegg), the world's best cop, who is transferred by his jealous superiors to Sanford, a small village that hasn't seen a murder in twenty years... or have they?! What ensues is a typical Wright combo of high-octane, video game style action, lots of physical and homoerotic comedy, and several frame for frame homages to Wright's favorite cop films (Point Break and Bad Boys II chief among them).

I really enjoyed this movie. I found Wright's hyper-stylization (lots of quick cuts, close-ups and loud sound effects on seemingly menial tasks like opening a door or putting on a shirt) and fast pace to be quite compelling and very effective in setting a distinctly Wrightian tone. Simon Pegg and sidekick Nick Frost (as Police Constable Danny Butterman), the duo we came to love in Shaun of the Dead, work brilliantly together, sharing moments both hysterical, touching and often times, overtly homosexual (such as when they fall asleep on the couch with their heads touching one another. Very silly). The action sequences are great, with loads of stylized stunt work, great fight sequences, and lots of unnecessary (read: highly necessary) blood and gore apropos of an Edgar Wright film.

There are also some great cameos, such as Martin Freeman (The U.K. The Office's Tim) and Bill Nighy (who appeared with Freeman in Love Actually, among others) as Metropolitan policeman, director Peter Jackson as an insane Father Christmas, and Cate Blanchett as Nick's ex-girlfriend.

The cons? While the film would still be entertaining, some of its magic could conceivably be lost on those who don't grasp what Wright, Pegg, and co. are trying to do. As with Shaun of the Dead, one can't go in expecting a run of the mill genre film because Wright's films simultaneously mock and hail the respective genres in which they're a part. The film can be enjoyed by all, but is probably most enjoyable for fans of action/cop movies, fans of innovative auteurism, and for those who pay enough attention throughout the film to catch the many pay-offs to the setups scattered throughout the narrative.

More importantly, Hot Fuzz's genre-bending hinders its enjoyability to some degree, in my opinion. It lacks the full suspense and non-stop action of a true action movie (because it isn't one) and isn't loaded top to bottom with the non-stop comedy of a true comedy (because it isn't one). It's sort of on par with other comedy/action films like Rush Hour, though the artistic element is far more sophisticated and gratifying in Hot Fuzz.

Basically, while this a great and certainly worthwhile film, it isn't likely to be many people's favorite, unless action/comedy/art-house hybrids are your genre of choice. However, judging the movie on its own terms and by its own intrinsic merits alone (did it accomplish what it set out to do? Is it the best film it can be?) this film is a great success, and I therefore give it an A-