1/7/08: Hot Fuzz (2007)We’re not sure how we missed writing about the theatrical release of
Hot Fuzz. We were certainly excited about the new film from the folks who gave us
Shaun of the Dead. It might’ve been because of pressing deadlines, or maybe we sometimes forget to politicize a good time.
We certainly weren’t trying to keep Hollywood from figuring out that our favorite Brits had once again made a fine conservative film. The only career that RightWingTrash has ruined is its own. So as we enter another year of discreet postings, let’s celebrate the bravest conservative film of 2007.
Hot Fuzz was originally conceived as a spoof of ’70s crime movies. By the time the vision was realized, though, it was more a spoof of overblown epics like
Bad Boys,
Bad Boys II, and other films that feature renegade cops outrunning big explosions. The opening for this English-set film includes a brief on tough guy Police Constable Nicholas Angel—played by the unimposing Simon Pegg, who co-wrote the script with director Edgar Wright.
Angel’s a true supercop. He’s a college graduate with a double major in Politics and Sociology. Nine special commendations. Three sustained injuries. An arrest record 400% higher than any other officer. And since he’s making everyone else look bad, Angel is sent off to be a sergeant in the sleepy town of Sandford, Gloucestershire.
The Chief Inspector informs Angel that it’s a “smashing position with a delightful cottage” in “a lovely little place that…has won Village of the Year.” Angel responds by saying that he wasn’t really planning to transfer to a country post for another 20 years. This sets up the blatant Ayn Rand moment: “It’s all about being a team player, Nicholas. You can’t be the Sheriff of London. If we let you carry on running ’round town, you’ll continue to be exceptional—and we can’t have that. You’ll put us all out of work.”
This all plays a lot funnier than it reads.
At least relocating isn’t a big deal to Angel. He lives out of boxes alongside police recruits. He’s broken up with his longtime girlfriend. Angel calls her up to let her know he’s leaving town. It only seems right, since they’d discussed getting married.
“You were already married to the force, weren’t you?” she asks.
“We’re actually supposed to call it ‘the service’ now,” Angel responds. “Official vocab guidelines state that ‘force’ is too aggressive.”
Then our hero is off to that quiet town, where… Well, we don’t want to give away too much.
Hot Fuzz did well, but it should’ve been a bigger hit in America. Let’s just say that Angel arrives at an idyllic village where the law is lax—for the greater good, as Angel is constantly told.
From there, a lesser talent—like any aging-hippie veteran of Monty Python—would have made a comedy about a crazed cop who’s seen too many American films and is running around shooting the populace.
Hot Fuzz is about a good cop who hasn’t seen
Lethal Weapon or
Die Hard. Angel’s adoring new partner—played by Shaun veteran Nick Frost—is a big fan of those films, though, and he’s thrilled to meet an officer who’s ready to jump over fences.
Angel isn’t looking to be a rogue cop. He tries to avoid using sexist terms like “manpower.” This dedicated Englishman will have to learn to embrace his inner Butch Willis. Meanwhile, the film reveals what happens to European communities that decide it’s more important to keep things pleasant than to defend human rights.
Hot Fuzz is about dhimmitude—which is a word that’s used often in the blogosphere, but very seldom in screenplays.
Hot Fuzz doesn’t have to use the word. It walks tall besides
Walk Hard as a hilarious parody with human characters and serious thoughts.
Make it your own: Choose from several different DVD editions, but we recommend the
three-disc set. This is one of the few comedies where the extras are as funny as the filmmakers think they are. You can also choose from an import or domestic soundtrack album. The song selection is great, and the dialogue on the tracks actually works.
And while it was no
Hobo With A Shotgun, Edgar Wright also deserves credit for coming up with the trailer for
Don’t—which was easily the most perfect of the fake Coming Attractions that showed up between the films in
Grindhouse.
