Hot Fuzz

The cop flick parody Hot Fuzz plays like a double feature, said Peter Hartlaub in the San Francisco Chronicle. Its first hour gently mocks English bobbies, its second eviscerates Jerry Bruckheimer'“style action. 'œImagine having a nice quiet dinner with Emma Thompson followed by a violent trip into the Ultimate Fighting Championship Octagon with Chuck Liddell.' The brilliant team behind the zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead has reunited for this sendup of such violent action films as Bad Boys and Point Break. Fortunately, 'œHot Fuzz harbors an affectionate (rather than cynical) attitude toward its blockbuster forefathers,' said Scott Foundas in the LA Weekly. The jokes advance the plot rather than derail it. That sets Hot Fuzz apart from recent American parody films such as the Scary Movie franchise. Simon Pegg plays the annoyingly efficient Nick Angel, banished from his London beat for showing up a fellow policeman. Sent to the charming, suspiciously crime-free town of Sandford, Angel tries to track down the perps behind a recent spate of 'œaccidental' violent deaths. Movie lovers and movie­makers alike adored Shaun of the Dead, said Peter Rainer in The Christian Science Monitor. Several British celebrities who were fans join the fun here by making cameos. Steve Coogan, Bill Nighy, and even Cate Blanchett show up, but the best by far is Timothy Dalton, 'œwho plays a supermarket magnate as if he were Iago in a roadshow production of Othello.'