We Americans love just about any kind of entertainment the British can throw our way. We helped make The Beatles a household name, and just about every college student can recite “”Monty Python”” sketches on demand.
When “”Shaun of the Dead,”” starring British comedians Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, hit U.S. shores in 2004, it was hailed as a fantastic parody on zombie movies while simultaneously becoming a staple of the genre. This time, Pegg and Frost have their sights set on police movies, and although it took “”Hot Fuzz”” a couple of months to cross the pond, it turns out it was worth the wait.
The film centers on Nicholas Angel (Pegg), a highly decorated and exceptional London police officer who always gets the bad guy no matter what. The problem is, his superiors think he makes them and the rest of the police force look bad, so they decide to transfer him to the sleepy, picturesque village of Sandford in the countryside. Once he arrives, he’s paired up with Danny Butterman (Frost), the slovenly, immature son of the Sandford police inspector, whose idea of police work comes mostly from movies like “”Point Break”” and “”Bad Boys II.””
Just as Angel is becoming acclimated to the town and its suspiciously friendly inhabitants, a series of mysterious and gruesome deaths occur. Everyone else thinks that they are merely unfortunate accidents, but Angel feels
“”Hot Fuzz””
Rating: R
Length: 121 min.
Production Company: Working Title/div>that there is something more sinister going on, and soon he stumbles on Sandford’s terrible secret and must fight back to save himself and Butterman.
If you enjoyed the humor of “”Shaun of the Dead,”” then this movie is definitely for you. There are a couple of references to that movie, and the jokes come fast and furious. The story moves a little slow at first, but once it gets going you’ll be rolling with laughter. The violence is surprisingly graphic for a cop movie, and some of the ways the unfortunate victims are dispatched will have you cringing and chuckling at the same time.
This movie has been advertised as a parody of police action movies, but it’s not really a direct spoof of any particular film or group of films. If you’re looking for a hilarious comedy that also doubles as a shoot-’em-up popcorn movie, this is it.
