Resonance

From the makers of Shaun of the Dead, I give you yet another take on genre. Hot Fuzz is an absurd combination of homage, parody, and its own police action thriller. Much like Shaun of the Dead (which was an absurd combination of horror, homage, and parody), Hot Fuzz gives the viewer a taste of life in a quiet English town where obsession is masked by the appearance of the perfect place to live. So what happens when Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is sent there because he is too good at his job? Well, you get a film that has all the trappings of an homage to the great cop thrillers such as Point Break and Bad Boys II, a parody of those same films, and a unique cop thriller that can actually stand on its own outside of the previous two characteristics.

I was very excited to see this because I loved Shaun of the Dead. Even though Shaun of the Dead was good because of its quirky presentation, I felt it was a bit uneven in trying to span genres. What starts as a comedic film, does end up being more like a straight horror film. I was hoping that Hot Fuzz would fix up that unevenness. I am glad to say that it did, making it better than Shaun of the Dead. Well except for the fact I like horror better than cop thriller, so that opinion is just based on the filmmaking. I actually like Shaun of the Dead better because it had zombies. But back to the point. Because of the nature of the story, director and writer Edgar Wright and co-writer Simon Pegg have given the film world a unique take on the cop thriller genre.

The story revolves around Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) being transferred to the small town a Sandford because is arrest record is too good, and he is making the rest of the police force look bad. The small town of Sandford provides a nice relaxing escape from the criminal world, or so it would seem. Angel has his police brain working in full force as he notices that things are not as they seem in this idyllic hamlet. Along with his really bad cop partner, Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), murder becomes the main story. The audience is led from idiotic cop work to full guns a blazing action. Yes something is wrong with Sandford, and Angel and Butterman are the ones to change it.

I really enjoyed the moments when you realized you were watching another film. It was a great way for the filmmakers to show off their love of the genre. What was interesting was that those moments just fit, rather than feeling like an out of place moment. This sentiment can be felt throughout the film. I never felt like I was watching a parody, such as watching Scary Movie. My laughs were genuine and went right with my moments of “cool guns.” The story worked well to create this feeling, including the priest with a gun. (Which reminds me of another film with a cool priest who says, “I kick ass for the Lord.”)

On another level, the film is playing with some of the ideas that John Belton describes when talking about his definition of postmodern cinema. For me, the ultimate example is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. A film that truly breaks down the fourth wall, giving the film a self awareness if not a self-referential quality. It also tackles what Belton calls bricolage, a playful mixing of elements from different artistic styles and periods (or even genres). Hot Fuzz is amazing in that it also encompasses many of the same ideas. There is an intimate connection to the audience in the homage sequences and when Angel and Butterman are watching the alluded to films. That show a level of self awareness, or perhaps just a more subtle awareness. Of course, what makes the film work may just be the bricolage of comedy, thriller, parody, and homage. By combining the styles you get something that is different and new. Perhaps then even Shaun of the Dead could be looked at in this way.

Getting back on course with the review, so what is it that makes this film absurd? Well the entire film. It is absurd that a film attempting to pay homage to other cop thrillers could become a great cop thriller on its own. It is absurd that moments of parody feel genuine rather than forced. It is absurd that a town is filled with such criminal evil. It is absurd that after the success of Shaun of the Dead, the filmmakers were able to top it. It is absurd that I have used absurd so many times. And finally, it is absurd if you do not watch Hot Fuzz.