Horror and action films I can live with
Action and horror films rarely make my list of must-see movies,
but British filmmakers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright have found a
combination that makes me want to see any movie that has their
names attached to it. To be honest, their films are not typical of
the action and horror fare.
Horror and action films I can live with
Action and horror films rarely make my list of must-see movies, but British filmmakers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright have found a combination that makes me want to see any movie that has their names attached to it. To be honest, their films are not typical of the action and horror fare. Their first film, “Shaun of the Dead” isn’t really a horror film as much as a spoof of the zombie movie. And “Hot Fuzz” isn’t really an action movie or a buddy cop film. It is a spoof of movies such as “Point Break” and “Bad Boys II.” Those are the favorite buddy cop films of the “Hot Fuzz” sidekick.
The film stars Simon Pegg as Nicholas Angel, an ace policeman – make that officer – from London who is so good at his job he has put the rest of his station to shame. He gets “promoted” to a quiet western village where the biggest crimes are underage drinkers and punk kids grafitting the fountain.
But shortly after Angel arrives two residents die in a mysterious accident and other deaths soon follow. While Angel is convinced the deaths are actually murders, the rest of the force, including his partner Danny (Nick Frost) believe they are just accidents.
The reason the movie works is that it does the exact opposite of most action films – it never takes itself seriously. The premise of most action films is that the good guy cop is pretty much invincible and will survive a handful of shoot-outs and encounters with more than a dozen bad guys and come out mostly unscathed.
Once in a while one partner ends up in the hospital so that the other partner truly has a reason to avenge him and get the bad guys. But I think we all know it’s not realistic and for me, most action films never draw me in enough to get me to stop thinking about how much the stuff in the film would never really happen in real life.
If a movie is going to be completely unbelievable, it better be pretty damn entertaining and that is where Pegg and Wright have got the right moves.
Nicholas Angel, Danny and the rest of the cast of characters in “Hot Fuzz” are downright hilarious. The town is full of interesting – yet seemingly boring – old folks who just want the town of Sandford to be perfect for the “model” village competition that is coming up. The city has been number one for years, mostly thanks to a neighborhood watch association that keeps an eye on everything going on around town with spy cameras and walkie-talkies.
While Nicholas is reluctant at first to let down his guard, Danny soon shows him it’s OK to have a little fun on the job and in exchange, Danny gets to be a little like his movie star heroes in movies such as “Bad Boys II” as the pair investigate the town’s rash of “accidental” deaths. Pegg and Wright also made sure to include all the necessary ingredients for an action/buddy cop movie. While the guys spend plenty of time going to the shops for ice cream cones, expect the funniest movie shoot-out I’ve ever seen, an explosion and a bad guy who just doesn’t know when to die.
Shaun of the Dead
And after you’ve seen “Hot Fuzz,” “Shaun of the Dead” certainly deserves a look. While Ed Frost plays almost the same character in both movies – the not-so-smart sidekick, Pegg does an excellent job pulling off the driven, by-the-rulebook cop in “Hot Fuzz” and the lovesick, ambitionless zombie killer in “Shaun of the Dead”
In the 2004 film, Pegg stars as Shaun and Frost plays his best friend, Ed. Shaun is kind of a clueless electronics salesman who finds himself girlfriendless after another night at the same old pub when the people around him suddenly start acting weird. It seems zombies are turning everyone in London into brain-eating monsters and Shaun takes it upon himself to rescue his ex Liz (Kate Ashfield), who he still loves.
The best thing about “Shaun of the Dead” is that while Shaun and his friends are trying to escape an army of zombies – who luckily are slow-moving and slow-witted – they still can’t seem to let go of their relationship issues. Shaun decides the best place he and his friends can go is the Winchester Arms, his favorite pub and the only place he ever took Liz on dates – one of the main reasons she broke up with him.
The movies are both worth a look, or a second or third watch, and are guaranteed for out-loud laughs.
