John Woo, Michael Mann, Michael Bay? Meet Edgar Wright.
As previously mentioned, I’ve watched both Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz around 50 times minimum. During the 2008 recession those were one of my go-to comfort movies.
Hot Fuzz is a perfect satire of the buddy cop action movie. A police officer excells in everything the Metropolitan Police Force (London) has to offer, and outperforms his peers. Then is effectively forced into early retirement by being promoted and shipped out into rural life. Goes from being unquestioned to constantly questioned, until his fellow officers uncover the fact that murder hasn’t been recorded in their small town but they still happen (e.g. Chicago policing).
Take Bad Boys, Point Break, Partners, 英雄本色, Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon, Police Story. Mix them up. Add British situational humor with a critique on unbridled capitalism. Blend well. Serve while inebriated.
- Pacing? Perfect.
- Script and Dialogue? Perfect.
- Technical Aspects? Perfect.
- Story and Immersion? Perfect.
There’s so many action movie references outside of the buddy cop genre as well. There’s a throwback to Blade, multiple callouts to the absurdity of common police officers doing stunts, highlighting how items filling the screen can make a scene more dramatic. Especially with that last part, lol, in the resolution of the film, a sprinkler is on full blast and it fills up the screen with falling water making it appear like rain.
Unlike Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz takes place in the countryside of the United Kingdom where there are minimal dark skinned people. As a result, I don’t have anything negative to report for the movie and it earns the grade S.
Rescreened July 14, 2023 on Amazon Prime.
