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Summary:
A hotshot police officer with a stick up his butt and total dedication to the law is kicked out of London for making the rest of his fellow officers look bad. He's sent to a sleepy village that seems all kosher on the outside, but he soon starts to believe that the string of accidental deaths might actually be the workings of a serial killer.

Review:
I was looking forward to Wright's next directorial installment after entertaining the hell out of me with Shaun of the Dead. The previews gave this movie a dose of Possibly Totally Rad, and I'm happy to report that yes, this movie IS Totally Rad!
This is one of those movies that is great on several levels. It works as a comedy. It has its share of blood and guts. The action is for the most part wildly entertaining. Not only that, it also works as an homage to the big budget action movies that we love, as WELL as those we hate. There are a ton of movie references. I'll start the list by mentioning allusions to Terminator 2, The Matrix (NOT the slow-mo kick moment, either!), Point Break, Bad Boys 2, He-Man, Lethal Weapon, a blatant fight scene in the mall akin to Raising Arizona, The Professional, Chinatown ("Forget it Nick, it's Sanford").... it goes on and on and on! I'm sure a lot skipped by me, but even better is you don't have to see these movies to enjoy the overall moviegoing experience. If the movie references aren't your style, or they just happen to fly right over your head, I'm sure you'll still have a fun time with all the comedy. Especially the running gag of the Human Statue. OH God, his final moment was PRICELESS!

When I am to envision a top form police officer, Simon Pegg isn't on my list of notable casting choices. He pulled off the intelligent and kickass persona magnificently. There wasn't a time in which I truly didn't feel he was a bad choice for the lead role. Part of the joke, of course, is that you wouldn't make him an action star. I also liked the fact that he lives the life of so many movie personas, but doesn't watch movies himself. So he's oblivious to the fact that he's an iconic figure. The cleverness of Hot Fuzz almost seems to out-do itself, yet it keeps itself together and maintains a proper level of suspension of disbelief that this movie warrants. The rest of the cast performed admirably. The little time Nighy is onscreen, he robs the show. I love that dude. Timothy Dalton was cheeky, smarmy and had great comedic timing. Nick Frost... well, if you liked him in Shaun of the Dead, I'm sure you'll go for him just as easily this time around.

The last half hour is when the torrential onslaught of action movie mayhem ensues. Sergeant Angel comes strolling back in the village - literally riding a horse - to the town center with nearly empty streets and closed shutters. He's got a toothpick in his mouth like Chow Yun Fat in Hard Boiled, and shit is about to go down. This is all fun and stuff, but I actually found this scene and a couple of the extended fight/chase sequences after that to be a little lengthy in runtime. It's possible that part of the joke is that the action wears itself thin much in the same way as many action movies do. Still, I have to say that I had never seen such an awesome drop kick to disarm the owner of a shotgun in my entire life! Even funnier is the poetic irony of a main bad guy's downfall. To save spoilers, I can't get more detailed than that.

Hot Fuzz was first and foremost a fun-assed time at the movies. I laughed my ass off and was giddy as a school boy while watching it. Under the silliness of it all, you can see that this was made by two guys (Pegg and Wright) who not only love going to the movies as much as me, but also know what works as a movie to entertain. It's not just silly, it's SMART. I have very few complaints with Hot Fuzz, and recommend it to all those action movie fans, or if you're looking for some laughs, or... if you just want to have fun!

GRADE: A

TRIVIA:
Ooooh, the list of references to other movies can be endless, but some other notables for me were...
The priest, played by Edgar Woodwood was also in The Wicker Man. His final line in both movies was "Jesus Christ!"
The bartender is the same bartender from the pub in Shaun of the Dead.
Butterman says he hasn't fired a rifle before, and when he uses the airgun he shoots a man in the leg. In Shaun of the Dead, Frost's character says his only experience using a gun was when he shot his sister in the leg with an air rifle.

Reviewed 4/26/07