Hot Fuzz

The "Second" film is one of the toughest projects any creative team must endure. How does one follow up a successful film, knowing that fans are expecting something that is contradictory - an entirely new film that still reminds them of the first one? Hot Fuzz, the new comedy from director Edgar Wright, writer/star Simon Pegg, and actor Nick Frost, manages to do just that.

After the wonderful genre-bending Shaun of the Dead, which somehow managed to be a hilarious parody of zombie films, a scary horror film, a romantic comedy, and even an emotional tragedy all rolled into one, they have taken on a new genre - police films; or more specifically testosterone injected police films like Point Break and Bad Boys II. And much like their previous film, they aren't interested in just making a spoof. Hot Fuzz plays around with the genre, and dives headfirst into the adsurd, but it simultaneously manages to be one of the best buddy cop films since Lethal Weapon.

Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is the best police officer in London. He's so good, that he makes everyone else look awful, so his superiors ship him off to a small, peaceful town where the biggest villains are the grafitti spraying teenagers, and the tacky performance artists. But, soon after he arrives, a series of gruesome accidents befall several townspeople, and Angel, always one to sniff out a crime thinks a conspiracy is afoot. The only problem is, the other police officers, especially his new partner, movie obsessed Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), haven't encountered a murder in more than twenty years.

The jokes start slowly, and the movie takes time to build its story. Hot Fuzz isn't in a rush to bash you over the head with self referential in jokes like most parodies. It introduces the characters, the small town, the locals. It's all very British. But, ever so slowly, the American police film sensibility starts to intrude on the locale. It starts with a fast paced foot chase that Michael Bay would be proud of, it continues with an unlikely friendship between two vastly different partners, and ends with a.....well....I don't want to ruin the joke, but needless to say, these guys haven't tossed aside gore-filled mayhem just yet.

The result is a spoof that is intensely funny (I laughed consistently throughout the last half hour), but also suprisingly sweet (aside from the impalements and decapitations). Even though they are having fun with the police genre, Wright, Penn, and Frost, manage to create a movie that is more emotionally involving than most of the big budget Hollywood action flicks. You really want that central friendship to work out! Quirks and all, these characters are fun to watch, and seeing them embrace their inner action star provides a genuine level of excitement that is one part thrilling and one part absurd. It's both playful homage and the genuine article.

Their second film manages to embrace the spirit of their first while still taking new risks. With Hot Fuzz, these guys prove they are the real deal.

Star Rating - **** out of 4