Reviews by Matt

How do you top a zombie comedy? Take the action movie genre and turn it on its head. Make it ridiculous by showing just how similar all action movies really are. In short, make it original while playing to all the action movie clichés. “Hot Fuzz” is how you top a romantic comedy with zombies.

Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is so good at his job that he gets reassigned because he is making all the other police officers look bad. They place Nicholas in the small town of Standford. A town where everyone knows everyone else, where there has not been a murder in over 20 years and where the biggest problem seems to be the swan getting loose. When a series of “accidents” start happening, Angel is the only one to suspect there may be something more sinister going on.

In “Shaun of the Dead” America got its first glimpse at what the British had know for years; Simon Pegg is hilarious. “Hot Fuzz,” continues his streak of quality comedies. Comedy is an art. I have heard it said that of the two styles of acting (comedy and drama), comedy is the harder one. Shaun was a loser who was forced into an extraordinary situation. Nicholas Angel is a man who craves action and will do what ever it takes to be the best; to play two very different characters in two very different comedic roles takes talent. Nicholas’ co-workers are cops who have never had to deal with real crime. They refuse to acknowledge they these are anything more then accidents. Nicholas’ only ally is Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), a fellow cop who is fascinated by action movies.

This movie does not mock action movies as much as it pays tribute to them. Much of what Danny thinks police work is comes from his large collection of action movies. He is constantly asking Nicholas if he has done any of the things from the movies. The corny lines right before the good guy beats the bad guy, the over the top shootouts and the hero prevailing over insurmountable odds are all staples of the action movie. “Hot Fuzz” takes these elements and utilizes them as comedic devices and pokes fun at their uses in action movies.

Too many movies take themselves way too seriously. It is good to see a movie that embraces the absurd and the unusual. There are so many moments that are beyond odd that they become normal for this movie. These moments come so often that by the time you see Nicholas kick a lady who is attacking him in the face, you cannot help but appreciate the lengths this movie will go for a laugh.

While so many movies want to be the next great action movie, “Hot Fuzz” strives to honor its predecessors. In doing so it is one of the most original and best action movies to come out in a very long time. Not everyone will understand or appreciate the British humor, but if you were one of the many who loved “Shaun of the Dead,” then this is a movie for you.

8 out of 10
121 min
Rated: R, for violent content including some graphic images, and language