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"Brain Freeze Or My
Zombie Will Shoot!!!" |
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Directed by Edgar Wright
- Written by Edgar
Wright, Simon Pegg
Starring Simon Pegg,
Nick Frost, Jim
Broadbent, Paddy
Considine, Steve Coogan
Timothy Dalton, Martin
Freeman, Paul Freeman,
Bill Nighy, Lucy Punch
Anne Reid, Billie
Whitelaw, Stuart Wilson,
Edward Woodward
Distributed by Rogue -
2007 - 121m - Rated R |
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My mind is in turmoil. The two halves of my brain are combating each
other, both insisting that I write this review in a different way. |
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So it has come to
this…my inner film snob and my inner movie geek are at war over the
fate of “Hot Fuzz,” the action-comedy from the same team that gave
us “Shaun of the Dead.”
You see, my inner film snob insists that this is fun, funny and
forgettable entertainment and that I should reserve my big star
ratings for “Tragic Human Drama” starring Kate Winslet and directed
by Anthony Minghella, awaiting limited release in late December,
putting it in the perfect position to win a couple of little golden
men (after all, that’s why it was made in the first place).
However, my inner movie geek tells me that “Hot Fuzz” is a brilliant
and gruesomely hilarious action romp that kicks all sorts of ass,
takes every name and leaves you wanting more, instilling a
combination of delight and sickness when the credits roll. Delight
because it’s that good. Sickness because you know it’s over.
Ah…my inner movie geek wins.
“Hot Fuzz” is, as of now, my favorite film of 2007. If that changes,
I can’t imagine it leaving my top ten or even my top five. It won’t
win any Oscars, but it’s that special king of brilliance. The kind
or brilliance you really don’t see very often. As a matter of fact,
there is only one film even remotely similar to “Hot Fuzz” and
that’s “Shaun of the Dead.”
Admittedly, it took me two viewings to fully embrace “Shaun of the
Dead,” but it has since become a minor gem to me. “Hot Fuzz,” also
directed by Edgar Wright, written by Wright and Simon Pegg and
starring Pegg and Nick Frost, encapsulates everything that made
their previous venture together work…but they improve.
Oh boy, do they improve.
What has made these guys’ work so special, so unique, is how you can
see where their inspiration came from and what they’re trying to
honor or poke fun at, but at the same time, they don’t resort to
parody or blatant recreation. Also amazing is how they’ve perfected
the difficult art of genre-blending.
To simplify that, with “Shaun of the Dead,” it was obvious that they
were referencing George Romero’s “Dead” series, but at the same time
it had a unique voice of it’s own. And while the bill of
horror-comedy is used often, this was the first I had seen that was
able to effortlessly combine both genres with neither one of them
condescending the other. In short, “Shaun” was just as good of a
horror film as it was a comedy.
I know…this is a review of “Hot Fuzz.” I just think it’s important
to establish what they managed to do with their first film before I
go on to explain how they’ve perfected it with their second. “Hot
Fuzz” is an absolutely divine dark comedy, but it is also an
enthralling and brilliant action film.
And guess what? Neither aspect hurts the other. As a matter of fact,
they blend so well, it’s no longer an action-comedy. It is a unique
sort of beast.
Pegg stars as Nicholas Angel, a London-based police officer who is
so effective that his superiors transfer him to keep him from making
the rest of the force look bad. He is sent to a small, pleasant
country village where he faces small, simple problems (his biggest
case involving an escaped swan). He is partnered with Danny
Butterman (Frost), a lovable, but dimwitted local cop. Naturally, a
series of accidents occur and Angel begins to expect foul play.
In a year filled with memorable film violence (“300,” “Grindhouse”
and although it’s technically an ’06 six release, “Apocalypto”),
“Hot Fuzz” delivers moments that rival even the most gruesome of
them. Viewers drawn by the comedy heavy trailers may actually be
shocked by the amount of gunplay, stabbing, impaling and so forth
that goes down here (although fans of “Shaun” won’t). As realistic
as some of it gets (even when it’s used for comedic effect), Wright
keeps things working. Certain scenes would have stopped the movie
dead in it’s tracks if anyone else was directing.
I’m a little perplexed by Wright. His inspiration here comes from
the schlocky, over-the-top, hyper-edited American action movies of
the past decade or so (“Point Break” and Bad Boys II” are mentioned
more than once in the film itself). First, I find it a little odd
that a director as talented as Wright could actually enjoy “Bad Boys
II.” Secondly, I find it wonderful that Wright beats Michael Bay at
his own game, staging action scenes that are more exciting than just
about any American production I’ve seen in awhile (and yes, that
includes the above mentioned “violent” films).
And since the action isn’t lacking, the comedy isn’t lacking either.
The script manages to be a little self-aware, but at the same time
it creates lovable and sympathetic heroes and surprisingly detailed
villains. Of course, the comedy also works because of the cast,
notably Pegg and Frost, solidifying themselves as one of the best
duos out there now. Yeah, they make us laugh, but they also make us
care. When everything goes down and the action kicks in, we CARE
about these guys. They aren’t just walking jokes.
They are backed up by an absolutely fantastic cast, including the
ever-brilliant Jim Broadbent and in a strange turn, Timothy Dalton,
proving that the man-who-was-Bond is pretty damn funny. Those with
watchful eyes will also be able to spot a few great cameos, some
obvious (The three London police inspectors) and some not so obvious
(you’ll probably want to check IMDB after the movie and slap your
hand against your forehead and go “OH!”).
I know that this probably sounds like hyperbole, so I’ve decided to
include what I didn’t like about “Hot Fuzz”:
There is a late plot twist that feels a little awkward at first.
If there are any others, I was having too much fun to notice.
I can go on and on and on about how much I loved this film, but if I
haven’t convinced you to see it by now, than I don’t think I’m
capable of doing so. This is a movie that any movie geek will love
and if you consider yourself a strict film snob…well, give it a
chance anyway. Here is proof that sometimes, great movies can truly
be defined by how much fun they are. |
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© Written by Jacob Hall -
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Me! |
TC Candler's Comment
Mildly
amusing in parts. Rarely hilarious.
NEXT!!!
Richard Propes' Comment
n/a
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