Cadinho93’s review published on Letterboxd:
"I may not be a man of God, but I know right and I know wrong and I have the good grace to know which is which."
Hot Fuzz is so much fun. It's sick, twisted and full of violence. It's an adventure from start to finish. Good timing, well acted, considering the absurdity. It's a definite change from the normal action/adventure film, so not the same old boring stuff, but still there is the action, the adventure and the fun, but I like that kind of film.
The irony in this film is that it takes place in the serenely beautiful English countryside. In some ways, the film is very important for Americans to see. It delves very deeply into the conscious social mannerisms of the English and parodies the timid insular English village life. Perhaps the most brilliant element of "Hot Fuzz" is the intertwining of a big-budget action film with gimmicks, a desperately fast pace and a quaint, atmospheric English village given the secrets-of-its-own flavor and a Agatha Christie-style expository structure.
The filmmaking style in and of itself is complicit in the satire. The cinematography and editing is a product of the school of Tony Scott and Guy Ritchie. It's filled with jump cuts accompanied by loud and constantly changing sound effects, occasional strobe and montages of grainy, bleached out, extravagantly lit shots edited together at machine gun speed. The soundtrack is that of any super-cool action film from Hollywood. This works so well not only as a dead-on impression of Hollywood filmmaking, but also as a hilarious opposition to the English countryside.
Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) performance is a work of comic genius. His character is so well-developed as a man of invincible, authentic confidence and incredible drive, a workaholic, a zealot and also an action hero stereotype. Police Constable Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) is a great second banana because not only is he the punchline to Simon Pegg's straight line, he's also funny in such a direct, adolescent way, an unlikely comic relief sidekick.
The film's great surprise is a comeback performance from Simon Skinner (Timothy Dalton). Not only is it a reappearance from the abyss he's been lost in since his two-year stint as James Bond, but also a vindication against all who've continually dismissed his credibility as an actor and doubted his comic ability. He's very funny and one of the film's great highlights.
Overall, I've rarely seen a comedy so cleverly written, beautifully directed, atmospheric, intelligently ridiculous, which Edgar Wright makes "Hot Fuzz" a very funny action film.
