Hot Fuzz with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. In Edgar Wright’s 2007 action comedy, buddy movies like 48 Hrs. and the Lethal Weapon flicks are taken to higher levels of creativity.- Hot Fuzz (movie 2007) review: Co-screenwriter/director Edgar Wright and co-screenwriter/star Simon Pegg have come up with an uproariously funny and fast-paced cop comedy.
Hot Fuzz (movie 2007) review: Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright pay riotous ‘homage’ to buddy movies and Hollywood blockbusters
If you are seeking an uproarious and explosive action comedy, Hot Fuzz is your pick of the week.
Directed by Edgar Wright, and written by Wright and Simon Pegg, the duo who brought us the hilarious 2004 zombie shocker Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz lifts the “buddy movie” genre to a new level while paying homage to popular action flicks like Bad Boys II and Point Break.
It should be noted, however, that Hot Fuzz is no mere parody. Rather than effortlessly spoofing existing material, the filmmakers have added their own riotous twists to reenactments of well-known scenes from a number of blockbusters.
Sandford’s finest
As far as the story goes, we are first introduced to Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg), London’s finest cop. Despite his arrest rate of 400 percent, Angel is reassigned to the post of sergeant in Sandford, supposedly the safest village in Britain.
There hasn’t been a murder in Sandford in more than twenty years, but Angel soon grows suspicious of the fact that the village’s crime rate is much too low while its accident rate is much too high.
When the corpses start piling up, Angel and his lazy colleague, Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), are in for some wacky gunfights and spectacular high-speed pursuits.
Fast-paced two hours
A comedy with a running time of two hours can be a turn-off, but Hot Fuzz manages to maintain its the fast pace from beginning to end. While the first half relies mostly on some first-class comic interplay between the main characters, the second hour is filled with nonstop action.
In fact, the film’s overblown action sequences are packed with ear-splitting shoot-outs and impressive stunts. Much of what takes place on-screen is just plain brainless warfare, but the filmmakers’ unrelenting humor makes even the most bizarre rampage a pleasure to watch.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who had previously teamed up against ferocious zombies in Shaun of the Dead, are particularly funny.
Gags galore
Most of their gags are hilarious, others fall flat, but Hot Fuzz offers so many you’d really have to pay close attention to catch them all.
In the role of the obsessive police sergeant, Pegg is especially convincing. The supporting cast features eccentric performances by Frost and Paddy Considine, and a surprisingly zany contribution from Timothy Dalton.
A clever and entertaining adventure, Hot Fuzz serves as a perfect diversion for those looking for both laughter and firepower.
Hot Fuzz (movie 2007) cast & crew
Director: Edgar Wright.
Screenplay: Edgar Wright & Simon Pegg.
Cast: Simon Pegg. Nick Frost. Martin Freeman. Bill Nighy. Timothy Dalton. Jim Broadbent. Paddy Considine. Billie Whitelaw. Paul Freeman. Olivia Colman. Edward Woodward. Ben McKay. Lucy Punch.
Cameos: Cate Blanchett. Steve Coogan. Peter Jackson. Edgar Wright. Garth Jennings.
“Hot Fuzz (Movie 2007): Uproarious Action Comedy” review text © Franck Tabouring; excerpt, image captions, bullet point introduction, and notes © Alt Film Guide.
“Hot Fuzz (Movie 2007): Uproarious Action Comedy” notes
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost Hot Fuzz movie image: Universal Pictures.
“Hot Fuzz (Movie 2007): Uproarious Action Comedy” last updated in April 2023.