Hot Fuzz

If you haven't seen "Shaun of the Dead" then get off your computer, go down to you local DVD rental or shop, grab "Shaun of the Dead", sit down and watch it, and then come back here.

Welcome back.

Now that you've seen it (or, for those who are reading straight on because they had already seen it), there is little left to do except sit on your hands waiting for the 18th of July. Yes, that it when Hot Fuzz comes out on DVD.

For those who were in the hospital ward throughout the cinema run of this film (because surely that is the only excuse acceptable for missing this film), Hot Fuzz is Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's follow-up to their insane "romantic comedy with zombies." This time, it's police films that are in their sights, so think "Lethal Weapon", "Bad Boys", or any other cop film that Hollywood has dished out in the last 20 years.

Here's the official description of the film:

Top Police Constable, Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is good at his job, so good in fact, he makes everyone else look bad. As a result, his superiors at the Met have decided to sweep him under the carpet. So it is that London’s top cop finds himself in the sleepy West Country village of Sandford.

With garden fetes and neighbourhood watch meetings replacing the action of the city, Angel struggles to adapt to the situation and finds himself partnered with Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), an oafish but well meaning young Constable. Just as all seems lost, a series of grisly accidents motivates Angel into action.

Convinced of foul play, Angel realises that Sandford may not be as idyllic as it seems. With his faithful new partner in tow, Angel fights to prove his instincts are correct and uncover the truth about Sandford. Is Angel simply losing his mind in the safest, sweetest village in Britain? Or is something far more sinister at work? Whatever the truth, Sandford is about to get a lot less sleepy.

Does that sound awesome or what?

Hot Fuzz very rarely slows down for breath, keeping interest throughout the entire experience. Acting is top-notch (especially Timothy Dalton as an is-he-bad-or-not convenience store owner), and there are of course plenty of references to some of the great cop films.

The bad? Hot Fuzz is pretty violent, and when I went to see it in a two-guy, two-girl group, us guys really enjoyed it, whereas the girls didn't appreciate the more grisly scenes. It's also hampered by a false ending that makes the film a bit longer than strictly necessary.

Overall, however, it's a brilliant movie and I had loads of fun. Definitely worth the cost of a rental, and if you like it I'm sure you'll be able to grab it cheap from Big W in a month or so.

Four stars