(no subject)
Following the success of brilliant British ‘zom-rom-com’ "Shaun of the Dead," Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg had a lot to live up to with their follow-up, action thriller spoof "Hot Fuzz." Pegg stars as super-efficient police sergeant Nicholas Angel, sent to a sleepy West Country village where a spate of gruesome ‘accidents’ turn out to be more than they seem…The concept isn’t nearly as fresh as ‘Shaun’s’ and as a result they have to work harder this time round to rise this above the milieu of your average British comedy film. And it has to be said, initial impressions weren’t that promising; the first half or so was quite slow-paced with too much scene-setting and not enough comedy. Also a surplus of cameos didn’t really add that much to the film- although it was fun trying to spot all the minor British comedy actors that make an appearance. That’s not to say it wasn’t good, because it was (how can anything with Nick Frost be otherwise)- it just wasn’t living up to my high expectations.
Thank God then that by the last third of the film you couldn’t have wiped the grin off my face if you’d repeatedly hit it with a sledgehammer. The ridiculously over-the-top denouement was as brilliant as one could have hoped for; you can tell the cast were having the time of their life and luckily, so does the audience. The supermarket scene in particular will thoroughly warm the heart of anyone (like me) who’s ever been a slavemonkey for a major retailer. Edgar Wright’s direction, especially during the action scenes, has certainly moved on leaps and bounds since "Shaun." Whilst some of the more fancy camerawork in the predecessor came across as a bit studentish, his work in Hot Fuzz is delivered with a flair that may not quite match the best Hollywood has to offer, but is certainly accomplished enough to more than justify the action part of the ‘action comedy’ tag. Although their obvious enthusiasm means the climax goes on a bit too long, that doesn’t diminish the fact that it’s one of the best things they’ve ever done. And, lest we forget, these are the guys who wrote "Spaced". Really, really good- but I do wonder if they can keep it up for a third film.
Also, I never, ever thought I’d say these words but- God, I want to be Timothy Dalton. What. A. Legend.