hotfuzz

Somewhere between all-out spoof and original comedy lies the work of the British guys who were
responsible for “Shaun of the Dead.” They’ve come back around this time with a send-up of tough
cop action films called “Hot Fuzz” and like “Shaun of the Dead” did for zombies, “Hot Fuzz” plays
with the conventions of American cop films without actually re-treading over beaten paths.

Unlike American spoofs like “Date Movie” and “Epic Movie,” which are in essence a series of
carefully crafted references and recreations strung together, “Hot Fuzz” finds an original story to
get behind.

Simon Peg plays Sgt. Nicholas Angel, a super cop in London who’s making everyone on the force
look bad, so they send him to a sleepy village in the country to cool his heels. Angel won’t have it
and goes in with the same hard-line attitude that made him London’s hero. Sudden deaths in the
village lead Angel to believe there is a serial killer, but the villagers think he’s full of it.
Nevertheless, Angel won’t rest until the murders are solved.

At just over two hours, the film is a little long and drags a bit in the second act, but overall
character development is quite good. What disappoints is the inability of the filmmakers to get
away from moments of serious gore. When someone dies, it’s over-the-top nasty, which I found
odd because most action cop films aren’t about the horror movie-level style of graphic bloodiness.

The movie delivers on British dry humor, great asides and stays very unique. Who wouldn’t want to
see a Bruce Willis-like cop forced to chase a swan through town with a buffoon of a partner?

On a personal note, the highlight of the movie for me was the inclusion of Timothy Dalton as the
main village antagonist. Dalton is an absolute riot, using his flair for angry performances in an
offbeat comedic way as a grocery store owner with a dark agenda. Yep, you heard right. A hard-
boiled cop squares off against a grocery store manager! Good stuff!

Admittedly, “Hot Fuzz” is not perfect. Too long, too gory and it stoops to convention at the climax,
although at least in this instance we know the filmmakers are stooping deliberately and for a good
cause: laughs.