Hot Fuzz: The Definition of "Fun at the Movies"

Hot Fuzz owes a lot of credit to a lot of films. But in a strange way, it feels like the source material "Fuzz" is borrowing from should be thankul for the spoofing, since "Fuzz" winds up being a better film than any of the movies it's based on.

Hot Fuzz comes to us from the minds of Simon Pegg (who also plays the lead character "Sergeant Nicolas Angel") and Edgar Wright, the same duo who shed new comedic light on the zombie genre with Shawn of the Dead. These guys MUST have watched a ton of movies growing up, because they seem to know EVERY bad action film by heart... and by the time the third act of Hot Fuzz kicks in, you'll know what I mean.

As the film starts, we're treated to a short montage of the lead character's amazing accomplishments and abilities throughout his training in the police academy, and what he's done as an actual cop on the force. Sergeant Nicholas Angel isn't just a cop, he's like the human version of Robocop. He's in top physical form, he has a keen wit, and always gets his man.

The only problem is, he's better at his job than everyone else on the force, including his superiors. This leads his superiors to "promote" him to Sergeant... a promotion that is designed to get rid of him rather than actually reward his accomplishments. His promotion sees him transferred FAR away from the busy streets of London, to a tiny little town called "Sandford."

At first glance, Sandford is an ideal community. In fact, the tiny town has won "village of the year" several years running. Crime is non-existant, there hasn't been an actual murder in the town for over 20 years... exactly the opposite place a "supercop" like Angel wants to be. To make matters worse, the partner that he is teamed up with can best be described as a dim-witted man-child who has seen WAY too many bad cop movies.

Yet, something is not quite right in the village of Sandford. A few of the village folk die in some rather strange "accidents" that just don't quite add up, and every time Angel tries to poke deeper... he's met with resistance from the community at large. Angel must use all of his resources, and a partner who probably never should have been given a badge, to uncover the mysteries of Sandford's dark underbelly, and bring the guilty to justice.

It's hard to know what to call a film like Hot Fuzz. It's obviously a comedy, but contains just as much satisfying mystery and action elements as any film in either of those respective genres. The beauty of Hot Fuzz is that the mystery and the action are just as engaging as the humor... creating a film that is an absolute delight to watch.

I don't want to give too much away about the film's final act... all I will say is that when Angel returns to the village with a stockpile of guns and drop-kicks an elderly woman, you will know with absolute certainty that "it's on." It's been a long time since I remember having a cheesy grin on my face for that long while in a theater.

Hot Fuzz is easy to recommend to anyone with a healthy sense of humor, who loves action, and who genuinely loves movies. 10/10