Movie Review Monday: Hot Fuzz
Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!
This week's film is the 2007 action comedy, Hot Fuzz, directed by Edgar Wright and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.
I had seen bits and pieces of this movie before, but I surprisingly never sat down and watched it all the way through. I'm a big fan of Shaun of the Dead, saw The World's End, and really loved Scott Pilgrim (all directed by Wright) so I figured I should check this one out too.
Hot Fuzz is a silly, fun, action comedy made in homage to all the great action movies of the 1980s and 1990s. It follows a London cop (Pegg) who gets reassigned to a sleepy little town and gets partnered with a local cop (Frost) and they soon discover more is happening beneath the veneer of this picturesque village. While the film is a bit slow to start, once it kicks into high gear, it is a lot of fun.
While Shaun of the Dead will still be my favorite of the "Cornetto Trilogy" of films, Hot Fuzz is a solid installment. The World's End was fine but I think lacked a good punch at the end. What I do appreciate about all of them is that there is a good heart to them. They're not just empty satire, which is fine, but the addition of some relationship stuff and genuine emotions really adds something to each of the films. Hot Fuzz is no different, and is also boosted by Wright's typical fun visual quality, with quick cuts and intense zooms. There are jokes happening in layers in a lot of the scenes, and a lot of great running gags and callbacks.
I definitely recommend all of the "Cornetto Trilogy". They're unique, fun, heart-filled, smart movies. I feel like they're better than a lot of the movies that come out nowadays.
You can watch Hot Fuzz right now on Netflix.