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After Shaun Of The Dead which successfully tackled the Zombie-genre with a wink the guys behind it take on the action comedy buddy cop movies.
With even more success I might add.
What many people do so wrong when trying to parody a genre they do right and seemingly with ease. Hot Fuzz has everything that belongs in the buddy cop movies and makes it intentionally funny creating a coherent story which uses the genre cliches to the fullest extent and provides the audience with action packed scenes and a steady supply of laughter.
Unlike the atrocious parodies done by the talentless Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer Hot Fuzz does things right by first having a storyline filled with cliches to which gags are added rather then making a movie consisting of merely gags which don’t have any connection what so ever. Like Tarantino, Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg have created a story that refers and homages tons of other movies without ever creating the feeling that the viewer is watching a shameless copy or bad parody. The story comes first and the humor a close second. Unlike many of the action comedies it balances the humor and action nicely even though the John Woo/Michael Bay scenes take some time to enter the scene.
What I especially liked was how layered the movie is. It will require several viewings to get all the gags and references. It’s always nice to discover something in the background, or a quote that refers to something you get but the person next to you doesn’t. Everything that is introduced returns when needed whether is be a physical attribute or a simple throwaway line or comment.
And even running a full two hours the movie doesn’t overstay its welcome although it does stretch the middle section of the movie but the director luckily keeps it tight enough. And for a buddy cop movie Hot Fuzz takes on much more genres like the slasher and the mystery. Which added another layer to an already full movie.
The only thing I didn’t really go for were the multiple epilogues. One or two less would have been just fine.
Other than these small tidbits the movie feels complete. The long lasting relationship between director and the main members of the cast shows off in the chemistry that is on screen. The movie is filled with solid actors who deliver their lines only in a way the British can do. Special credit needs to go to the city of Wells which is really an unusal place for an action movie setting but really pulls it off.
Too make a long story short: I really like Hot Fuzz.
