Friday 19 July 2013

Review: Hot Fuzz

World of Blackout Rewind Review

Hot Fuzz Poster

Hot Fuzz
Cert: 15 / 115 mins / Dir. Edgar Wright



And so the second part of Edgar Wright's trilogy screeched into cinemas two years after Shaun Of The Dead, and took a lot of people by surprise. Not only does it not milk what's gone before, but it also has a much stronger narrative and a whole new range of genres to homage/reference.

The thing that stands out to me watching it now is how bloody good Nick Frost is. Not just in this, but generally. As likeable as Simon Pegg is, he's arguably played three versions of himself over Spaced, Shaun and Fuzz, whereas Frost is notably different in each. Not bad for the guy who drifted into it more by luck than judgement. The rest of the cast (including Pegg, obviously) still put in marvellous turns, with varying levels of archetype, and make the film consistently 'watchable'*1

Another great thing about the movie is that it's ageing very well, largely due to the 1970's-paranoia feel of the NWA plot; Evoking that small-town spirit lends it a sort of timelessness.

And yet, although Hot Fuzz is far more accomplished as a film than its predecessor, for me it's not as accessible as Shaun. It's still absolutely immense, of course, and one of the best British films of recent years, but I do find I have to be in the mood for it. Ultimately, the amount of love and dedication more than makes up for any foibles which I may (wrongfully) perceive.


Is the trailer representative of the film?
Yep.


Did I laugh, cry, gasp and sigh when I was supposed to?
Yep.


Does it achieve what it sets out to do?
Yep.


Buy, pay to rent, or wait until it's on for free?
Buy, and get the two-disc version if you still can.


Will I think less of you if we disagree about how good/bad this film is?
Yep.


Will I watch it again?
Yep.


Is there a Wilhelm Scream?
I think I heard one buried in the final gunfight, but I can't be sure.


And because you won't be happy until I've given it a score...


And my question for YOU is…
Did Nicholas Angel die in the stabbing or Kalashnikov incident shown at the start of the film, and his time in Sandford is a sort of Life On Mars type purgatory before he accepts his fate and moves on? Just a thought.



*1 That said, I don't stay on-channel when I happen across Hot Fuzz on ITV2. I can't be doing with films with adverts in them. It's very, very wrong.

DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.

No comments:

Post a Comment