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August 8, 2007
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Should I see it?
Not if you're sensitive



Filmmakers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright pay homage to all of the stupid action movies they’ve ever seen. Much like what they had done with their ode to zombie movies with Shaun of the Dead, the intent of this work is to stand on the shoulders of the slouching giants that came before them.

Pegg portrays Sergeant Nicholas Angel, a tightly wound cop who is exiled to a small village when his colleagues in London find his excessive police talents too much to compete against. While in the village the ever diligent Angel teams up with a bloated cop named Danny Butterman. The two uncover a village wide murderous conspiracy. This simple fish out of water story is fun to watch and is handled, for the most part, expertly by Pegg and Wright.

There isn’t a grand scheme at work here. The underachieving point of the film is to simply give a nod to other underachieving films (the Keanu Reeves embarrassing action flick Point Break is given prominence). This film manages to do this easily. They offer affection towards stupid action movies while providing one at the same time.

This is a goofy movie but it has the sense to not take itself too seriously. This may seem like a small deal, it isn’t. In a day and age where Quintin Tarantino is considered to be a visionary, its nice to see some post-modernists who know their disposable culture isn’t critical.


Worldview: This film concentrates on the notions of duty and purpose. Sergeant Angel is so committed to his work that he fails to live a life. Conversely, his partner Butterman is such a slouch that he fails to be useful. The two transition away from their faulty behavior (Angel loosens up while Butterman becomes a real cop) as the film pushes forward. The trajectories of the characters aren’t anything new and are rather tedious. However, it should be noted that the film does support some morality that makes sense.

There is also a strong strain of through against being too prideful. I can’t really get into it without ruining the film so I’ll be a little ambiguous. Suffice to say that being overly concerned with rewards can lead to a downfall. This is clearly expressed in this production.


Production Notes: Where the film runs into a spot of concern is in its creation. What we have here is postmodern filmmakers offering homage to the works they’ve enjoyed in the past. This isn’t that big of a deal and it’s not a deal breaker in regards to seeing this film.

What we see here with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, considering their previous work, is a couple of men raised on Hollywood McMovies. While their ode to action movies is tongue-in-cheek and not really meant to honor the other works. They know that films such as Point Break and Bad Boys are horrid movies but they also know they are enjoyable and have had an impact on international society. This is where they part ways with their contemporary postmodernists Quintin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez who take the putrid drainage that flows from world cinema as being worthy of praise. Tarantino in particular has made a living from reviving disposable culture and treating it like it is high art. Pegg and Wright also perform this task but do so to lovingly mock the low quality fluff that the entertainment industry has been pumping out for forty years. There no pretense that what they’re up to has any value. At least they should get credit for knowing what they’re doing.


Cautions: This is an action film so there’s plenty of violence. The actual action sequences aren’t too heavy however. There’s little blood or gore in these sequences just comical tongue-in-cheek violence. Oddly though the aftermath of the murders which leads to the action sequences is where the film reserves all of its most adult content. Be warned, the murder victims are shown being stabbed, decapitated, burned and crushed. There’s absolutely no reason for the filmmakers to show this content but they do. Their lack of control is unfortunate since the remainder of the film is remarkably tame in regards to the presentation of violence.

I also need to note that there is a load of cursing. There's more swear words here than after Sean Penn stubs his toe.


Other Reviews:
Nehring the Edge
Cinema de Merde
Film-Forward Reviews


Another Simon Pegg Movie:
Shaun of the Dead (2004)



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posted by Michelle Obama's Left Nut at 6:19 AM




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