Day 41: Hot Fuzz.

Day 41: Hot Fuzz (2007, Dir. Edgar Wright)

The trio of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost returned to the big screen in 2007 with A big British action film, but its about as far away from Lock, Stock as you can imagine. The film deals with a murderous plot of subterfuge in a very English small idyllic town complete with church fairs and village greens. As you’d expect the comedy is relentless and blisteringly funny whilst the action in question easily stands up to the Hollywood blockbusters it is parodying.

Simon and Nick have irresistibly charming chemistry on screen, and here deliver a genuine contender for the best British bromance; it is their relationship that drives the heart of this film. Not only are the pair remarkably funny but genuinely heart-warming too, with every lingering look and one liner delivering with a fantastic punch.

The rest of the supporting cast are equally flawless; from the veteran of classic British actors such as Jim Broadbent and the late, great Edward Woodward to rising Brit stars like Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall. Each performance adds another level of humour to the film whilst weighing it down with believability and drama too. Timothy Dalton is particularly great and truly unnerving as Supermarket boss Simon Skinner.

At the time of its initial release this film was met with a bit of hesitation due to the fact it was following some big hitters in the British comedy landscape, the cult classic series of Spaced and their first brilliant move into film, Shaun of the Dead. With so much to live up to this film needed to really deliver, and it would seem at the time the shot was just wide of the mark; however where Shaun became an instant Brit classic I think this film does better with every repeat viewing. With every new watch there is another gag or nuance that grabs you, you can appreciate the story and intelligent directing without being bogged down by comparisons to the trios other film work.

This film is amazingly directed by Edgar Wright with a unique flair of creativity that is unlike anything else out there in the British filmmaking mainstream; there is a great deal of cinematic knowledge that has gone into making every sequence work. The film of course doesn’t only look great but is painfully and relentlessly funny and very fresh too.

8.5/10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425112/

Extra: 100% excited for Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Scott Pilgrim this summer!