Hot Fuzz

To be clear, I love horseshit, intentionally and unintentionally funny B-movies and parodies full of references, but there was nothing here. As with the previous Shaun of the Dead, I'm experiencing a slight déjà-vu. Wright's hammy humour bores me immensely, his editing epileptic jerks irritate me and quotes alone do not make a good film. The whole film leaves a sour taste on the tongue with a question directed at Edgar Wright: “What the fuck is this guy doing?” (06/25/2007)

Hot Fuzz is to action movies what Shaun of the Dead should have been to zombie horror, i.e. a half parody of the genre on the one hand, and a proud representative thereof on the other. Unlike Shaun of the Dead, Edgar Wright manages to make things work out and the result is a very good and remarkable film with humour, a (horror) twist and sharp action. Basically, without complaints. (06/27/2010)

Edgar Wright mightily kicks Michael Bay’s ass, burying all conventions and correctness under tons of unique ideas, and leaving the diabolical Simon Pegg to mow down his enemies in an even more uncompromising manner than Bruce Willis in his prime. The film is a unique demonstration that properly referenced, honored, or parodied genre fiction can royally entertain. Unfortunately, this creates an unpleasant issue on the way to the viewer's heart, which may be ordinary ignorance of film action. It’s a simple equation: the more classic films you've seen, the more fun you'll have. (05/13/2007)

The narrowness in adopting clichés from the other side of the ocean is often so perfect that Hot Fuzz slips to a certain self-purpose and so it balances on the edge of good taste (beyond which the similarly tuned synthetic B-movie Tarantino often falls). The film entertains when it is being British on the inside and American on the outside, but then it loses a bit in the finale, which is irresistible at first, but after a while it gets a little excessive. It's hard to justify why, despite the long runtime, great ideas and surprisingly quite engaging storyline, Hot Fuzz didn't make that much of an impression on me. Perhaps its action mimicries are so perfect that they inevitably evoke the shallow impression of a normal action movie. If there is something that I really enjoyed in addition to the atmosphere, then it is the excellent acting by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the perfect return of ex-Bond Timothy Dalton to shootouts, the stylish and youthfully fresh directing by Wright, and the great music of (currently working on Bond) composer David Arnold. When the best action film of 2007 is chosen, Hot Fuzz should not be forgotten... even with all the mockery, it is more fun and full of energy than most overseas productions. However, the film still lacks a higher degree of perspective in order to achieve perfection - not of the parodied genre, but of itself. (09/05/2007)

Who you gonna call when Bad Boys don’t know what to do? Nobody better than Simon Pegg and Nick Frost... After Shaun of the Dead, the Wright/Pegg duo is back and this time they poke fun at crime movies, buddy movies and action movies of all kinds. Basically, all the positive ingredients from Shaun can be found in Hot Fuzz too. Unfortunately this also applies to the negative aspects. One of the main pluses of this movie is that it really is funny - which cannot be said about every comedy released recently. Primarily, it doesn’t parody in that “commercial, American" style. You don’t necessarily need to know the scenes that are parodied here, because they are more of a subtle nod for movie connoisseurs. This movie works more than well, primarily thanks to the marvelous dose of British humor. The action is perfect in terms of filmmaking craft and is better than in many an A-grade action movie. Some scenes will have you rolling in the aisles. Simon Pegg and his aura easily carries through even at those couple of weaker moments that crop up in the course of the rather overly-long running time. And he is skillfully seconded by the creme de la creme of contemporary British comedy. Unfortunately, the result suffers from the same ailment as its older brother - a rather weak middle section. But generally it applies that this movie from the pens of Pegg and Wright is polished, intelligent and mainly darn good. Just a shame that again it is one step short of absolute perfection. But still, you can’t help but love Hot Fuzz. And as a bonus, Cate Blanchett appears here in an unmissable central role. "Nurp!" (06/08/2007)

Quite surprising and especially interestingly made revelation with absolutely unique and appropriately dry British humor. It is a strange paradox that Hot Fuzz behaves in exactly the same way as Shaun of the Dead, but unlike it, it works. Shaun made fun of zombie movies to gradually become one of them, which ultimately really annoyed me. The unit does the same thing - from a small inconspicuous parody it progresses to perfectly entertaining and intentionally exaggerated action inferno. But in this genre, it fits like nothing else will. For this reason, I gladly forgive Pegga and Frost. (06/14/2007)

Genius films are those that can balance exactly on the edge, so if any ingredient were added just a little bit, it could turn into a failure from a great success. During the first half of the film, I had a great time and it could have been the comedy of the year for me. The precisely calibrated exaggeration on the topic of an overly enthusiastic police officer within an established bureaucratic machinery was not only functional but divine. Similarly, the confrontation between the big city and the sleepy small-town environment where everyone knows each other very well. Unfortunately, in the second half, the creators felt the need to add. Practically everything. As we know, too much of anything is harmful, and thus it turned into a rather average absurd farce. The moment the army of murdering psychopaths appeared and the dialogues took on the dimension of British nonsense, the charm of the film was lost for me. I would give the first half a rating of 100%, the second half 50%, and overall 75%. (10/26/2007)

"You haven’t seen Bad Boys 2?" An action party that has everything – Tony Scott’s epileptic fits, Bay-style helicopters and all that jazz. All spiced up with great British humor and an unusual plot. A movie from the fans to the fans that is a must see for every orthodox geek. (09/24/2007)

A great action comedy where everything is a bit exaggerated, but at the same time, it is excellently constructed as both a parody and a standalone functioning film. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost simply fit together, just as Edgar Wright fits with them. This collaboration of these three personalities of contemporary British cinema is the best they have ever been responsible for. (03/13/2014)

I didn't want to believe that Hot Fuzz was made by the same people who made the lackluster Shaun of the Dead, because I haven't seen such a sophisticated wannabe action movie in a long time... Hot Fuzz stuns with its originality, well-written characters, and amazing variability in terms of genre. If you're wondering whether you're watching a comedy mocking all action movies that take themselves too seriously or a breathtaking action film with some occasional punchlines or parody, know that Hot Fuzz has a little of each. Breathtaking directorial inventiveness, a host of great British actors, and a totally ultimate Bad Boys-style last half hour (a spoof or HOMAGE to Bay, perhaps?) make Hot Fuzz one of the most original and personalized efforts in recent memory. A clear 5 stars. (08/16/2009)