Hot Fuzz

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. (13/05/2007)

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?” (25/06/2007)

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%. (26/10/2007)

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. (05/09/2007)

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. (16/08/2009)