Hot Fuzz (2007)

After the success of Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright, along with the two stars Simon Pegg (also helped write the film) and Nick Frost, went on to make Hot Fuzz: a tribute/parody of the buddy cop film genre. The story follow Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg), who is something of the greatest police officer in history being transferred to a small village in order to prevent him from making the rest of the force look bad. In this new town he meets a hoard of silly characters like Danny (Nick Frost), who is his incompetent film-obsessed partner. The town consistently wins the annual best village contest and Nicholas begins noticing that the number of accidents (including graphic decapitations and shear impalement to name a few) is abnormally high. After investigating further the town turns out to be much more sinister than it seems and Nicholas comes to the realization that “this shit just got real.”

Edgar Wright, a director with an uncanny talent to make even the mundane seem intense and exciting, manages to capture every cliché there is about the buddy cop film referencing “classics” like Point Break and even the infamous Bad Boys II; there is the rival in the force who will begrudgingly give Nicholas respect by the end of the film, ridiculous action sequences featuring bullet-ridden mayhem, and of course, the sexual tension between the two protagonists. Like with Shaun of the Dead, the first half of the film is set to a different tone than the second. The first half plays out like a comedy that basically mocks the typical conventions of the genre. Danny constantly references other films as well as persistently asks Nicholas questions about experiencing the clichés of the cop movie genre such as, “Have you ever fired two guns whilst jumping through the air?” and “Ever fired your gun in the air and yelled, 'Aaaaaaah?'” The writing, credited to Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, is hilarious and the deliveries are quick. There are lines that are very memorable and, if this review is any indication, easily quotable. One of the most surprisingly funny performances in the film actually comes from Timothy Dalton who plays Simon Skinner, one of the most obviously evil characters in film. Nearly every time he is on screen he winks menacingly at the heroes or the music plays an ominous accompaniment. He hams it up so brilliantly that every time he is even on camera he warrants a laugh. The second half of the film is where it literally becomes what it was mocking in the first half. In this it follows the exact formula of Shaun of the Dead, though that’s not a complaint. The action is violent and ridiculous, and the fact that it involves fight sequences with mostly senior citizens (who seem to take it very seriously) makes it even funnier. At one point, after Nicholas Angel rides into town on a white horse armed to the teeth with guns, he gets into a brutal fight with an old man wielding a sword. The film takes itself seriously as a buddy cop film and it emphasizes the absurdities that go along with it including the twist endings and forced character developments. Hot Fuzz is an incredibly funny film and probably the best buddy cop movie. Ever.