Lambie Reviews Hot Fuzz

Year: 2007
Review on Letterboxd: 'Hot Fuzz' review by Avalanche


This film takes every cliché, stereotype, and trope from all the typical police action films, drops them into the British countryside, and then ramps them all up to their ridiculous extremes. Simon Pegg is wonderful as the by-the-book cop who is transferred from London because he's a bit too good. Everyone he's put up against is just as good, and it really is at some points an ensemble cast that at the same time gives you unique and identifiable characters that you can pick out in the crowd.

Many of the comedies I've watched recently have been a bit hit-and-miss when it comes to the humour, but I'm glad to say that I found Hot Fuzz genuinely funny. It really taps into that weird, quirky humour that I find so entertaining, but at the same time the jokes are clever unlike many “spoof” films these days that just try to cram in pop culture references and poor excuses for slapstick.

It's not a perfect film – I found the sound mix to be a bit overwhelming once or twice such that I couldn't hear dialogue, and a couple of elements in the over-the-top third act and its conclusion don't quite seem to gel with the feel of the rest of the film. But this is such an entertaining film that I'm willing to forgive those minor flaws and gladly accept this breath of fresh air in a time when Hollywood seems to have forgotten what comedy even is.