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British film comedy was long stuck in a rut, and Shaun of the Dead (2004) was the first glimpse of fresh, well made filmmaking that didn't pander to the US market with faux notions of Englishness. The follow-up, Hot Fuzz, is a gleeful mating of Hollywood action movie mores with a genteel English countryside setting.
The film follows tough city cop Nicholas Angel, who is exiled to deepest Dorset – and shackled to a hapless new partner – for doing such a good job he makes everyone else look bad. He soon uncovers sinister goings-on, and when his by-the-book approach fails, turns to his partner's action film collection to regain his edge.
Energetically directed by Spaced alumnus Edgar Wright, the film boasts a healthy range of homegrown talent, including Timothy Dalton and Edward Woodward. Unlike mere spoofs, Hot Fuzz pays homage to the action movie genre with the attentiveness of an acolyte, never sacrificing its affectionately drawn characters or carefully wrought dialogue for cheap laughs.

 

Milo Wakelin on 21st May 2007
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