Hot Fuzz
Rated: R
Runtime: 2 hours, 1 minute
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring:
Simon Pegg - Sgt. Nicolas Angel
Nick Frost - PC Danny Butterman
Timothy Dalton - Simon Skinner
Jim Broadbent - Inspector Frank Butterman
Paddy Considine - DS Andy Wainwright
Rafe Spall - DC Andy Cartwright
I wish I could review a film based on how good I think it will be on repeat viewings. I wish I could just hop in a DeLorean, go into the future, and ask Future Matt if a film gets better the second or third time. Unfortunately, even if we had the technology, it’s only fair to review a film based on the first viewing and while the makers of the brilliant Shaun of the Dead has delivered a great film, their newest effort pales in comparison to their romantic-comedy-with-zombies.
What I love about co-writers Simon Pegg (who stars as supercop Nicolas Angel, a completely 180 from Slacker-Shaun) and Edgar Wright (who again shows off his directing bravado) is that their films are homages, not spoofs. While there are plenty of references within the film, the strength of the writing ends up making the film a legitimate entry into the genre rather than just a humorous reflection of its tropes. This time, the filmmakers hold the mirror up to action films, specifically Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys II, and Point Break (if you thought that last film couldn’t be poignant, Wright, Pegg, and co-star Nick Frost are ready to prove you wrong).
After a hilarious intro where idiot officers Martin Freeman (The UK version of The Office), Steve Coogan (Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story), and Bill Nighy (you should know who this is by now) send Angel and his 400% arrest rate from London to the small town of Sandford for “making them all look bad”, people start dying under gruesome and mysterious circumstances. Unfortunately, the time it takes between Nick’s arrival in Sandford and when things get interesting is a little too long and since Angel remains such an unlikable priss for the film’s first act, the film loses a lot of necessary momentum and it seems like Wright is trying to overcompensate with unnecessary flash and headache inducing editing.
But part of me knows that these guys are immensely talented and upon repeat viewings, their attention to detail and remarkable narrative structure will shine through. I’ve seen it in Shaun and in their UK television series, Spaced. And while the film is absolutely worth your time for the hilarious performances and the best kill of the decade alone (you’ll know it when you see it), it needs more than one viewing to get past just following the plot and finding the excellence therein. For these guys, I’m certainly willing to look again and again.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
3.16.07
 |
 |
 |