Hot Fuzz

hot_fuzz.jpgrating-4.0Hot Fuzz managed to succeed on a level that Shaun Of The Dead never did. Many fans will see this as blasphemy, but, sorry, just because you're a zombie-obsessed shut-in doesn't mean that your opinion matters.

While several of the tropes of the zombie movie were given their loving nudge by Wright and Pegg in Shaun, it was for the most part just a setting for a cute slacker love story.

Hot Fuzz is a much more full-bodied recreation of the style being ribbed, showing much love but jumping in neck-deep into the world of the action film, still giving touches of horror though the gory tale of murders gone awry in a small, sleepy town. But it is focused on the hard-nosed and experienced cop, out of his element, bringing law and order to a seemingly idyllic small town, all cottages and smiling yokels.

Of course, there is the sloppy sidekick, learning the hard way the meaning of what it is to be a cop. But, while it plays off all those conventions, it manages to buck so many more and changes everytime you think you've got it pinned down. It even manages to keep the gun violence non-existant, a shock for an action film of this kind, and keeps its mirroring of American action violence to a minimum.

Aside from the fun but, mostly bloodless, action, the movie does a fine job of providing character performances, particularly from Timothy Dalton, chewing scenery with aplomb in a role meant for just that.

And, of course, there's the most important part: the comedy. It is very funny. Much funnier than Shaun ever hoped to be. It keeps you rolling with laughter for hours and is entirely pleasing, without feeling overdone or malnourished in its length. It's just the comedic ride that one really requires but is so rarely offered.

Easily Pegg and Wright's best work, Hot Fuzz is a hard film for them to beat, hitting every mark fairly perfectly, while leaving the audience wanting a bit more. Though it makes you wonder what territory they'll choose to go to next.

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