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Film Review

09 January 2009 04:05 BST

Hot Fuzz

Directed by Edgar Wright, out now in cinemas, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, running time 121 minutes.

In a nutshell...

Cops, guns, afternoon tea

What's it all about?

Supercop Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is transferred from the London Met to a quiet country village where the only problems are a gang of hoodie-wearing youths and a criminal swan.

With his hapless partner PC Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) in tow, Angel finds little to get excited about in the country until a series of grizzly murders reveal all is not as it seems in the sleepy village.

A whole host of weird (and possibly inbred) characters inhabit the all-too-serene village of Sandford, as the plot begins to thicken and Angel suspects everyone.

Who's in it?

Writer and star Simon Pegg follows up the tremendously successful Shaun of the Dead, calling upon his friend Nick Frost to play his non-too-bright side-kick once again.

The two are joined by an impressive cast, including Jim Broadbent as Inspector Butterman, Timothy Dalton, terrifically cast as a somewhat sleazy local businessman, and Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall as the hilarious and foul-mouthed DS Andy Wainwright and DS Andy Cartwright.

There are also cameo roles squeezed in for Steve Coogan, Bill Nighy and Martin Freeman.

As an example

Danny (Nick Frost): Where's the trolley boy?
Nicholas (Simon Pegg): In the freezer
Danny: Did you say anything like "cool it"?
Nicholas: erm no, not really
Danny: Aww shame

Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars

Although Shaun of the Dead earned the team a Bafta nomination, Hot Fuzz is unlikely to win many serious awards.

What the others say

"Even without the inspired idea of Shaun Of The Dead it's an easy match for laughs, and marks Nick Frost as a vital part of this team's appeal. The boys (now in blue) have done it again." – Empire

"The extended shoot-out is as exuberantly ludicrous and loud as anything John Woo or Michael Bay has directed. But it has one thing its predecessors never had: a nice cup of tea and some biscuits once the dust has settled." - The Times

So is it any good?

Although it couldn't be more self-congratulatory if the actors paused for a moment mid-scene and winked knowingly at each other, Hot Fuzz is a genuinely funny and inventive brit-flick.

Pegg, Frost and director Edgar Wright clearly have a blast poking fun at elements of America's best and worst lock-and-load cop movies, as well as very English notions of 'community'.

And, as with their previous work in Shaun of the Dead and Spaced, there are some outstanding moments in the film – witness for instance, the sheer brilliance of Sanford's amateur dramatics club performing their own version of Romeo and Juliet.

Yet ironically, as the action reaches its explosively destructive peak, the film begins to run out of steam and starts to feel a little long-winded.

But despite the odd flaw, Hot Fuzz is still good enough to be the funniest film released this year by some distance.

8/10

Simon Liddle

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