Monday Mayhem: Hot Fuzz - A riveting action-comedy and Edgar Wright’s master class in editing

In our new weekly series, Monday Mayhem, we recommend fast-paced Hollywood action films

One of the difficult genres to successfully execute is the action-comedy in cinema. While there are several superhero films that have raked huge numbers at the Box Office, they often rely on slapstick comedy and shock value. In fact, Edgar Wright is among the few who have pulled off a fresh action-comedy superhero film with a very unique aesthetic through his 2015 film Ant-Man. Despite being one of his most commercially successful films, his best works have often been relatively low-budget indie projects such as Hot Fuzz.

Released in 2007, Hot Fuzz features a star-studded cast of British actors including Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Bill Nighy, Martin Freeman, Olivia Coleman, Stephen Merchant, Jim Broadbent, and former James Bond, Timothy Dalton. It also features uncredited cameos by Peter Jackson and Cate Blanchett. One might argue that the film is not a typical ‘indie film’, considering the wealth of talent involved in the project, but a relatively meagre budget of $12-16 million says otherwise.

The plot revolves around the relentless, uncompromising, and highly efficient police officer, Nicholas Angel, who has been transferred to a small town in the English countryside. His superiors believe that Angel’s heroics puts every other officer to shame, including themselves. It is something these individuals simply cannot digest, and also admitted that they want out Angel — a punishment of sorts simply because he was too good at his job.

However, Angel soon discovers that there is something sinister lurking in the shadows, murdering the innocent people of the quaint rustic town. He befriends a local policeman named Danny Butterman(Nick Frost), and together they try to uncover the secrets of the town, as the body count keeps climbing. The obvious buddy-cop reference is a homage by Wright to films such as Point Break and Bad Boys, which are directly as well as indirectly referenced throughout the film.

Wright adds his own blend of the buddy-cop routine with fast-paced action and dark humour. Unlike the relatively mundane comedies with less to no editing and camera angles used as narrative devices to aid the screenplay, He also makes use of quick cuts and puts significance on the off-camera setting to aid the visual comedy, in other words, he goes beyond the norm of relying on just quippy dialogue to deliver comedy. But the intensity he brings to each shot through editing to pack a punch in the film’s action sequences is what truly sets it apart, and it is an integral aspect of the film’s satire. It is also used as a plot device to establish Nicholas Angel’s beliefs and motivations.

The film is unapologetically bloody featuring some of the goriest deaths, and it is self-aware that it is a spoof action film, but with very real and palpable action sequences. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost excel in their respective roles, aided by an excellent ensemble, as one would expect considering the sheer quality of the film’s cast. Eagle-eyed viewers would also notice how several dialogues foreshadow events in the film, and it gives the film an additional layer of nuance.

Despite releasing nearly 15 years ago, Hot Fuzz remains one of the most significant, if not the most significant action comedies of the 21st century. Edgar Wright remains a coveted filmmaker having completed the trilogy of the Three Cornettos (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End), as well as helming acclaimed productions such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Baby Driver, Ant-Man, and Last Night in Soho.

You can watch Hot Fuzz here .