Hot Fuzz (2007)

Director:

Edgar Wright

Writers:

Edgar Wright (written by) &
Simon Pegg (written by)

Release Date:

14 February 2007 (Ireland)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Mystery

Tagline:

Big Cops. Small Town. Moderate Violence.

Plot:

Jealous colleagues conspire to get a top London cop transferred to a small town and paired with a witless new partner. On the beat, the pair stumble upon a series of suspicious accidents and events.

Plot Keywords:

Village | Accident | Police | Partner | Small Town

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Simon Pegg	...	Nicholas Angel
Martin Freeman	...	Met Sergeant
Bill Nighy	...	Met Chief Inspector
Robert Popper	...	'Not' Janine
Joe Cornish	...	Bob
Chris Waitt	...	Dave
Eric Mason	...	Bernard Cooper
Billie Whitelaw	...	Joyce Cooper
Nick Frost	...	PC Danny Butterman
Peter Wight	...	Roy Porter
Julia Deakin	...	Mary Porter
Tom Strode Walton	...	Underage Drinker #1
Troy Woollan	...	Underage Drinker #2
Rory Lowings	...	Underage Drinker #3
Bill Bailey	...	Sergeant Turner

Also Known As:

Blue Fury (UK) (working title)
Bubblin' Fizz (UK) (fake working title)
Dead Right (UK) (fake working title)
Feelin' Fuzzier (UK) (fake working title)
Raging Fuzz (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violent content including some graphic images, and language.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

USA:R (43187) | Ireland:15A | UK:15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R13 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Singapore:NC-16 (edited version) | Sweden:11 | Malaysia:18PL | France:U | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Japan:R-15 | Ireland:15 (DVD rating) | UK:18 (blu-ray)

Filming Locations:

Barn Theatre, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Big Talk Productions

Trivia:

Simon Pegg had weapons training in preparation for his role as Nick Angel, and also learned how to skid a bicycle properly along the way.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the carnival, after Nicholas Angel shoots all of the little people down with the air rifle, in the background you can see that all of the little people are back up again.

Quotes:

[Skinner is explaining why the NWA had Martin Blower murdered]
Simon Skinner: You see, much as I enjoyed your wild theories Sergeant, the truth is far less complex. Blower's fate was simply the result of his being... an appalling actor.
NWA Members: [echoing in agreement] Appalling.
Nicholas Angel: You murdered him for that?
Simon Skinner: He murdered Bill Shakespeare.
Nicholas Angel: What? Oh.
Annette Roper: Martin Blower was less concerned with the reputation of the village than he was with his sordid affair with Eve Draper!
Nicholas Angel: So Eve deserved to die too?
Dr. Robin Hatcher: Well, she did have a very annoying laugh.
NWA Members: [echoing in agreement] Annoying.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References "Kung Fu" (1972)

Soundtrack:

Kick Out the Jams

"The Fuzz" Keeps Black Comedies Alive!

"Shaun of the Dead" was probably one of the funniest (if not the best) British black comedy that had been released in 2004. With gritty violence that made you squirm, innocent humour (Nick Frost) with blaspheming insults that just made you laugh out loud, and the quick wit of Simon Pegg with some great fun and horror mixed together, "Hot Fuzz" had a huge task of competing with the sheer greatness, of which was "Shaun of the Dead".

After much keen excitement upon seeing the teaser trailers of Hot Fuzz last year, my stomach churned as if to say "At god damn last, a film I can look forward to in the new year!" I felt as though it was best however, to go in with an open-neutral-mind, as I didn't want to spoil the film with high expectations.

I actually was starting to get worried into the first segments of the film, the humour wasn't as sharp as SOTD's first 20 minutes, and there were so many characters to remember, most of whom didn't make sense for a while. It wasn't till Nick Frost was introduced - that the film started picking up its pace and then decided to grab me by the throat. The film from then, was so funny, action packed, gruesome and dark! You just do not expect anything which was what made SOTD so great. The spontaneous actions and humour just kept the film's pace fantastically back on track.

The great thing about Hot Fuzz was just how original it was, and the ending (no spoilers here) just gave itself the stamp of "Most Exciting & Fun Ending In British Comedy".

The mystery and murder factor was well done as well, leaving me guessing "who did it" all the way through the film, but as with SOTD, the dark and grotesque violence kept its mature rating of 15, very enjoyable, yet very squirming to watch.

I highly recommend this film for anyone who just wants a good laugh and likes simple great black comedies. If you loved Shaun of the Dead, you will love this film. Just go in with an open-mind and have fun. Definitely worth the £6.50 (and the £15 when it comes out on DVD)!