Betsy S
A film that deserves to be talked about more than it is. Some may say that Shaun of the Dead is the best of the 'Cornetto Trilogy', but this film in my opinion, takes the gold medal by far. British Comedy at its finest, Hollywood blockbusters have nothing on this gem.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
03/17/25
Full Review
Tatianna T
Hot Fuzz is an action-packed comedy directed by Edgar Wright, who manages to capture humor in a unique way. The directing style of quick cuts and suspenseful implementation of sound effects was impactful and helped connect emotions. Edgar Wright created meaning in every shot; his use of camera angles captured hints of what could happen in each scene. His camera work encapsulates the intensity of the scenes with fast cuts. Color played a major role in this movie, with a consistent blue tint distributed through the entire visual composition. The color symbolizes the films tone, enhancing the narrative.
Another important element is music. There were times when the music was overwhelming and distracted the audience from small details captured in the camera angles. Although the music was overwhelming, the dynamic use of volume, both high and low, was needed. The sounds of footsteps and cups clinking help viewers feel like they are in the film.
Beyond the immersive sounds, the script and costumes further bring the characters to life. The script and costumes fabricate personalities for each character and help in understanding the roles being played. Beyond the costumes, the character of Sergeant Angel is given short lines, he created a pretentious tone with his delivery of short, witty quips. Each actor portrays their character in different ways with their mannerisms. Sergeant Angel uses little emotion throughout the movie, which gives his character a cold personality; this helps build the story of Hot Fuzz. Simon is a police officer who takes his job seriously; he does not let anything get in the way.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/14/25
Full Review
Aiden G
Before 2010, director Edgar Wright had yet to reach the status of a filmmaker he is considered today. While his success from 2017’s Baby Driver was well deserved, an upcoming Wright in 2007 for Hot Fuzz showcases the fundamental positives of his styles that would be translated to 2017 incredibly well, but also lackluster qualities that eventually diminish the shine of an otherwise deserving British Academy Award-winning film.
For only his third directorial opportunity, Wright’s conveyance of script, storytelling, and themes is considerably first-rate. He manages to sell an otherwise dramatic and overzealous plot through strong, interconnected themes of comradery and adept dialogue that allow the viewer to appreciate said themes and story. However, the superb acting of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Timothy Dalton, and the many other constituents of the large cast enables this appreciation to take root in the first place. Being of the comedic buddy cop genre, Pegg and Frost’s characters have copious amounts of screen time. Surprisingly, never once do their scenes get stale or boring. The well-implemented jokes between their two characters, along with excellent line delivery, combine to make the many scenes containing these partners refreshing and undoubtedly funny.
With a film about cops, the characters' costumes seem to be well-made and believable; however, there are few scenes with close-up shots of the uniforms, making critiquing and appreciation difficult. While the camera work throughout the movie is not bad, nothing exceptional stands out. There are a variety of angles throughout with some lighting distinctions—mainly considering indoor scenes with shadows and warmer tones. Moreover, color seems to be nothing to write home about. While there are no cinematic marvels to be had in terms of cinematography, it gets the job done beyond a doubt.
Tuning into a more positive note, the sound design is certainly noteworthy. With that, one moment comes to light with a long, narrow, and blurred shot of Pegg’s character Angel stomping down a hallway, whose steps echo and reverberate beautifully, at the film's beginning. This brilliance, while an uncommon spectacle cinematically, is not solely present in the first minute of the film’s sound design.
Even with a great soundstage, the music and score of Hot Fuzz get overbearing when constant samples of it can be heard through seemingly all two hours of the film. With this, the atrocities for which the editing of Wright’s third directorial piece commits only amplify the cloudy and flustered music. While Wright seemed to master the art of quick cut-style editing techniques in Baby Driver, his 2007 creation lacks the refinement and impressive implementation characteristic of the 2017 movie. In Hot Fuzz, the cut from one action to another is commonly achieved with these abrupt, unclean transitions that make the viewing experience and flow of the film less desirable. Special effects such as explosions and gunfights—which are plentiful in this action film—are also affected. An over-reliance on quick cuts and the effects it has on other aspects of the film robs it of vital positive qualities. Even so, Hot Fuzz is still an enjoyable comedy that demonstrated Edgar Wright’s strong potential in 2007—whose limits would be reached and/or exceeded nearly a decade later.
6.4 out of 10—slightly above average.
It is not a masterpiece in any way, but a fun watch regardless.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
03/13/25
Full Review
Rowan L
When exploring Edgar Wright’s creative vision and direction of Hot Fuzz, it translates well to an audience that this is a satirical comedy. This vision is brought to an audience on a silver platter through comedically timed lines, quick camera cuts and slow zooms, and the personality of specific characters like Danny—played by Nick Frost.
Throughout this movie, there are many captivating moments, but some get lost in the fuzz. Before this movie jumps into its first scene, it opens somewhat chaotically. Attacking audiences with police whistles, sirens, and flashing white lights, perhaps attempting to put the audience on their toes from the get. Aside from that—early on in the movie—some exceptional things can be recognized, such as the long and far camera angle of Sergeant Angel walking down a highly contrast-lit hallway, aided by the specific sound design of his squeaking shoes. A remarkable feather in this movie is its sense of realism; when noticing the settings such as the police station, grocery store, and village all of these places feel lived in. The blue and yellow-tinged scenes, along with the serious religious themes approached in a dramatic and unserious tone, helped turn up the comedic value of this movie. It’s obvious Wright wanted this film to feel like an action and suspenseful film at times, and the specific colors of scenes and specific character costumes helped him accomplish that.
While there are many positive things to note in this film though—in many moments—things tend to fall flat. Which may be caused by the frequent bad acting or the trickle of dad jokes left throughout the script. Though this movie, at times, does an exceptional job of introducing realism often there are scenes that feel out of touch. Along with not contributing to the comedic effect. The over-the-top special effects, CGI during explosions, death scenes, and the paper-crumble reminiscent bone cracking throughout the film tended to interrupt and ruin some high-tension scenes that take away from the impactfulness and comedic value within the story. Many times throughout this film, the overacting and chaotic editing can be a lot for an audience to digest, which can lead to visual fatigue—admittedly, at times, I did experience it. Though this movie did have some lows, it ended on a high note. Rolling into the credits playing the song, "Here Come The Fuzz" by Jon Spencer and the Elegant Trio. Making a clever callback to the movie’s title.
Overall, this film wasn’t horrible. This could be a good movie for an audience who may not be familiar with Edgar Wright’s work, but for audiences who may be more versed, I wouldn’t recommend this novice film. My rating of this film is a lackluster 5/10. My recommendation lies with Wright's newer works; a better pick may be his 2017 film Baby Driver. With a decade of experience filling the gap between these two films, I can confidently say almost any other film of Wright’s after 2007 will be a significantly better watch.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
03/13/25
Full Review
Ani W
In 2007, the movie–Hot Fuzz–directed by Edgar Wright, won the best British comedy of the year, so the question stands if the film really deserved this title. To answer this question, one can evaluate and analyze the film. After watching Hot Fuzz, while I do believe the movie has some strong aspects, it does have some flaws, which leads me to think this film was not the best choice for this award.
The transitions and cuts within the film do have positive effects, however, they are also the movie’s downfall. Hot Fuzz is filled with several quick cuts, flashing lights, and fast-paced transitions which contributes to the upbeat, action packed feeling of the movie. On the other hand, these quick cuts and intense, choppy transitions lead to a lack of clarity and subsequently, audience confusion. For example, during conversations, the fast cuts back and forth between characters can make the dialogue hard to follow.
As for the set design, costuming, and makeup, they are realistic and believable. With this, the main character–Nicholas Angel–played by Simon Pegg, portrays an everyday police officer well with his cold, stern, unemotional personality. Throughout the film as a whole, the actors have great line delivery and effortlessly carry out their jokes as the script smoothly incorporates them; this is particularly evident in side character, Danny Butterman, played by Nick Frost.
The score and sound design in the film are both strong parts of this film; they are realistic for the most part. When they are a little dramatic, it seems to be a director’s choice for comedic reasons as a way to make fun of generic action movies. This comedic exaggeration can also be seen in the CGI and special effects; for instance, the gunshots and explosions.
The plot and storyline of Hot Fuzz is one of the strongest points in the film. The storyline pulls the audience into a false sense of security as it seems predictable, however, as the film continues, more twists and turns arise and exhibit its unpredictability. This aspect of the movie keeps the watchers on their toes and adds an exciting, thrilling factor. The only downfall of the plot is the ending, which is filled with a few more action packed scenes as well as a year time jump. This ending feels rushed and seems as though it was not wrapped up to its full potential.
There are a couple themes within the movie that the audience may pick up on. There is a religious theme that is incorporated often throughout the film; this can be seen when Nicholas is pictured with angel wings and the fact that his last name is Angel. The theme of what happens when one spends too much time focused on work is also present within Hot Fuzz, particularly through Angel’s development throughout the movie.
The film Hot Fuzz is an enjoyable, comedic movie that I would recommend; I rate it a 6.5/10. Despite that the film is an entertaining watch, the confusing cuts and rushed ending ultimately lead me to believe there may have been a better option as the best British comedy of 2007.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/13/25
Full Review
Matthew B
The British comedy/action film Hot Fuzz directed by Edgar Wright is a comedic landmine that throws the viewer into an overwhelming explosion of vague humor. Through subtle placements and comments from characters it gives away the entire story from the start; its overuse of foreshadowing tells the viewer exactly what to expect and then some. Though much of this is lost on first time viewers it adds rewatchability to keep the audience wondering what they could find on the next watch. The main character Sergeant Angel–played by Simon Pegg–with his partner Danny–played by Nick Frost–often have humorous dialogue that can at times be over the top and hard to follow.Although flawed, one thing that this movie generally does well is tension. The mix of dramatic music with over the top quick cuts from character to character creates a tension that can’t be taken seriously. Likewise, the intense lighting often enhances the tone of the film. An example of this being when Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s characters have a heated argument and the scene is flushed red from the headlights of their car. As red is often seen as the color of love or anger, its use in this scene intensifies the moment to the point it would almost be emotionally impactful if it was not for the constant stream of jokes. In a similar fashion, the more sophisticated themes of the film frequently get shoved aside in the name of comedy.
As it is also an action movie it frequently uses practical effects and CGI to boost the intensity of the film. In many cases, its effects are disproportionate to the situation at hand and often detracts from the rest of the film. Along with the special effects, the sound design of the film is overpowering. It seems like nearly every movement is heard in detail. Furthermore, when coupled with the quick cuts of the film it can become overwhelming very easily and distracts from the rest of the film.
Hot Fuzz is excessive in every way and is simply trying to do too much. As an earlier work of Edgar Wright's, it feels like he is still learning how to balance a film–which he has since improved on in his more recent pictures.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
03/12/25
Full Review
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