Nothing special, but a real blast. From the same team that brought us the wonderful Shaun of the Dead, this movie parodies cop action movies, repeatedly name-checking Bad Boys, Die Hard, and Point Break. These are not difficult to parody, but Hot Fuzz does it in a fresh, and uproariously funny way. A much smarter, funnier Reno 911. Supercop Nicholas Angel is sent to a bucolic English village as punishment for showing up his colleagues in the London police. Pretty soon the body count is on the rise, and the movie becomes ever more manic until it climaxes in a joyfully excessive 20 minutes shoot ’em up. Lots and lots of fun.
This movie mostly gave me a headache (it was loud and flashy and overstuffed and silly and Reynolds made me sit too close to the damn screen). I laughed in places but there were absolutely no surprises; the whole idea of parodying Bruckheimer seems to miss the point (not to mention stirring in The Wicker Man for good measure). I loved Shawn of the Dead and this is no Shawn of the Dead. I would have rather seen Don’t. I know I will be in the minority on this one, but I found Hot Fuzz to be annoying.