Hot Fuzz

Day 168 - 6/17/09 - Movie #167

BEFORE: I don't know too much about this film, except that it got pretty good reviews in 2007, and it stars Simon Pegg, who played the new Scotty in the recent "Star Trek" film...

THE PLOT: A top London cop gets transferred to a small town and paired with a witless new partner. On the beat, the pair stumble upon a series of suspicious accidents and events.

AFTER: It's funny that I watched this right after "Turner & Hooch" - both films feature by-the-book, over-efficient policemen who are stationed in small towns (but wish they were in larger cities - Sacramento + London), and who need to learn to lighten up. Pegg provided the comic relief in "Star Trek" by being, well, comical - but here he's funny because he's so super-serious about his job.

Nicholas Angel's arrest record outshines the other London cops, so he's sent away to the tiny village of Sandford. In true "buddy cop" fashion, he gets paired up with Danny, the inept son of the police chief. Angel teaches Danny how to be a better cop, and Danny teaches Angel how to unclench and visit the pub. When townspeople start dying, the mystery doesn't seem that difficult to solve (especially if you've ever seen an episode of "Scooby-Doo"), but then there's a series of hilarious twists - this is a British comedy at heart, after all. It all builds to a climax that manages to spoof action movies, while also being the ultimate expression of one. If this film represents the future of Brit comedy, then bring on the future!

This Simon Pegg guy has some serious (and comic...) range - Jim Broadbent and Timothy Dalton were great in supporting roles. Cameos from Bill Nighy, Steve Coogan, Edward Woodward, Cate Blanchett (!), Peter Jackson (as a thief dressed as Santa), and (I'm guessing) a who's who of contemporary British comedy.

RATING: 8 out of 10 pints of lager (could have been a 9, but minus 1 for being a bit too gore-y)

"Hot Fuzz" directly references "Point Break", which is also on my list - so I could watch that film next, but I'm saving that for my "Heist" chain rather than Cop Week...