I’ve sung the praise of Edgar Wright every moment that I could. I personally think he’s fantastic, and truly a master of his art. Hot Fuzz came at a time when Edgar Wright had fully understood what he wanted to do with his films, Shaun of the Dead had been a massive success and Hot Fuzz was looking to do the same. The second film in his unofficially titled ‘Cornetto’ trilogy, featuring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, Hot Fuzz is an amalgamation of comedy, action, and buddy cop drama like you’ve never seen before.
How to Download Hot Fuzz
You can download the film from a digital store. You can also stream it. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. Check out also other films directed or written by Edgar Wright – Baby Driver, Ant-Man, or The Adventures of Tintin.
The Movie Review
The story follows police officer Nick Angel, who is literally so good at his job that they can’t have him around in the city. So, transferred out to the small town of Sandford, a place where crime is non-existent and everyone knows each other. Now he’s got nothing much to do other than run around doing nothing with a police force that is practically a collection of idiots. However, a mystery soon strikes the town of Sandford, and it’s safe to assume that Nick Angel is going to be the key to solving the first crime in Sandford’s history.
The irony in Hot Fuzz is that this film is set beautifully within the serenely stunning yet incredibly timid and well-mannered English countryside. The movie is crucial for Americans to see in some ways, mainly because it’s a stark contrast to their society where individualism matters most. Here, Hot Fuzz parodies the shy, reclusive English country life and goes deeply into English social customs.
Edgar Wright interweaves a high-budget action movie, then combines it with funny gimmicks found in most British comedies, along with his signature frenetic storytelling pacing containing fast cuts and smooth editing, and then setting ALL of those elements into a small suburban town that has mysteries of its own deeply hidden within it. It’s got an expository structure of an Agatha Christie novel, and a style of modern cinema, that is maybe Hot Fuzz’s strongest element.
However, there’s one thing that pushes this film far beyond a regular Edgar Wright film, and that is the addition of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, two of the funniest actors in the world. Simon Pegg takes the leading role of Nicholas Angel and makes it his own. Pegg’s performance is a masterful display of his comedy skills, his character is well-developed as a workaholic, but he’s also a stereotypical action hero with unwavering confidence and enormous determination. Then we have Nick Frost’s character, and he makes a fantastic counterpoint to Pegg.
In addition to being the joke to Simon Pegg’s straight line, he also has an unexpectedly teenage sense of humor which adds to the overall flair of the film.
The film is shot to perfection, every single moment in the film is a frantic display of attention to detail. Each shot is timed well, synchronized perfectly with the audio in the film, and then added sound effects that make it seem like an artistic level beyond any other in comedy. The cinematography adds a lot to that, with many shots being cut quite quickly, it adds to the pacing of the film and makes it feel as fast as the story is progressing. The camera work is smooth, without any jagged shots and Edgar Wright makes a lot of room for artistic shots in the midst of it all as well.
The Music
The music is a big part of any Edgar Wright film, and it’s safe to say that Hot Fuzz is no exception. Not only does the film feature a phenomenal, action movie parody soundtrack with a ton of classic rock tunes, but it also features some amazing songs from popular artists that add to the overall experience. Although I do wish that it had a more elevated soundtrack, it’s just a sonically well-balanced film with a little here and there for everyone.
Verdict
While Shaun of the Dead was Edgar Wright’s breakout comedy masterpiece, Hot Fuzz is right up there with that film in terms of quality, easily matching the quality levels of films such as Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Baby Driver, and The World’s End. It’s a comedy film that has guts, R-Rated goodness, and a ton of satire and irony that is hardly done better by anyone other than the Brits. Moreover, the ensemble cast, the frenetic editing, and the super fast-paced storytelling make it enjoyable and rewatchable to a high degree.
