Quick DVD Review: Hot Fuzz

I always approach a filmmaker’s second project with a bit of worry. So often they can be “corrupted” by Hollywood or become over important resulting in a lackluster follow up. Happily I can report that the makers of Shaun of the Dead did not rest on their laurels and turn out a lame duck (or swan) follow up. In fact I think whatever Hollywood influence came over director/writer Edgar Wright and writer/actor Simon Pegg made for a better film.

Hot Fuzz, released on DVD, last week is a perfect follow up project and does for cop thrillers what Shaun of the Dead did for zombie flicks. The duo clearly has a love for the material they’re mocking. Take for example a discussion the two have on the funny yet informative commentary where they declare that the person who wrote, “This shit just got real”, in Bad Boys II deserves an Oscar. The duo immersed themselves in cop buddy movies, mysteries, and thrillers while writing the script and while they pulled out all the old clichés for the purpose of exposing them, they also use them to make a fine film. Just like Shaun, Fuzz ends up being a really good example of the genre they’re focusing on despite the hilarious holes they blow through some of its staples. Pegg plays a role almost the opposite of Shaun as Sergeant Nick Angel but it still allows his comic brilliance to shine brightly especially in all the facial expressions he makes. Nick Frost seems to have taken a giant step forward acting wise from his role in Shaun and really gives the film a center. The rest of the cast, a who’s who of award winning British actors, all do extremely good work especially considering how minor some of the rolls seem. The style of the film borrows heavily from many in the genre from Scorsese to DePalma to Tony Scott but what struck me the most was the similar editing style to that of Darren Aronofsky by using repetitive motions of actions to bridge scenes. Wright is clearly a very talented director and hopefully people do not overlook that simply because he is making comedies. The DVD extras are ok on the disc but I’m led to believe that if you want to purchase it you might want to hold off for some kind of deluxe edition as Wright and Penn often refer to extras that aren’t on the disc during their commentary. One extra worth watching besides the commentary is a short doc on their press tour of America along with Frost. Funny funny stuff and also very entertaining to see them show the film to audiences for the first time, something which I very much regret not getting to do in the theater. Finally let’s answer the question many people immediately think of, is it better then Shaun? While Shaun may have had me belly laughing a lot more, Fuzz was a more well rounded film for me. Perhaps it’s that I favor cop films more then zombie films but I really think it’s more that these guys took what they learned from Shaun, and were able to deliver a more polished complete movie. Still I’ll never turn down an opportunity to watch either…yarp!