The Rocky Mountain Collegian

May 2nd, 2007

Review – Hot Fuzz

Never before in my long history as a movie watcher has the sight of someone being stabbed in the throat with a gardening tool made me laugh so hard.  You know, that sounds awful on paper, but it does give a nice example of what Hot Fuzz is all about.  From the creators of Shaun of the Dead comes this new film in the vein of dark British satire.  With the perfect combination of humor, action, and style, Hot Fuzz hits right on the mark. 

Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is one of London’s finest cops.  In fact, he’s so good that he’s beginning to make the rest of the Police Force (er, Police Service) look bad.  So, he is promoted and reassigned to the town of Sandford.  Here he meets his new partner, Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) and starts his new job in the comparatively boring country village.  However, strange grisly “accidents” start occurring very soon, and it doesn’t take long for Angel to determine that they are actually a linked series of murders.  Angel must race uncover the truth behind all of this before he himself becomes an “accident”.

If you like dark comedy, this movie will make you laugh out loud.  If you like goofy comedy, this movie will make you laugh out loud.  If you like good old fashioned whimsy, this movie will make you laugh out loud.  There really is something for everybody here in terms of humor.  All of the acting is top notch for the mood of the movie.  Many performances are completely overdone, but it keeps with the style, which makes it work just fine.

The violence and action in Hot Fuzz are over the top as well.  Grisly murders are portrayed in such a way that you will cringe and giggle at the same time.  Don’t ask me how they pulled it off, but it works.  Stylistically speaking the movie is very fast paced.  Action scenes are confusing, but it tends to work in the favor of the movie.  Also, there are a lot of very strange montage scenes in places that may give some people seizures.  Fair warning has been given!

Check this one out when you are in the mood for a zany movie.  Maybe you need some cheering up or a break before or during finals week?  Or perhaps you’ve got a spring date with someone who has a twisted sense of humor?  Hot Fuzz will certainly work, and I highly recommend you catch this one in theaters.

(3.5 stars)

(Monty Python fans rejoice, the heirs apparent to the British humor crown are here!)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 at 3:29 pm and is filed under the reel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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