Edgar
Wright, 2007, UK, 116 mins
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent
Review by Mike Bartlett
During an interview
with Terry Jones where he talked about the making of Monty
Python and the Holy Grail (1973). He and Terry Gilliam
threw themselves into the project with gusto, relishing
the great material thrown up by the team while at the same
time determined to craft a “proper” film
with impressive visuals and quality sound design. But when
they viewed the rough cut, something was wrong – no-one
laughed. They scratched their heads and endured a dark night
of the soul before realising what the problem was – so
thorough had they been in filling the soundtrack with telling
period detail that there was no room for the jokes to breathe.
It seemed comedy thrived in the absence of perfection.
It's a lesson that the makers of Hot Fuzz would do well
to learn. The team behind the superb zombie spoof Shaun Of
The Dead have regrouped for a parody of hard-boiled, tough-talking
cop shows and buddy movies. And there are some good gags,
laugh out-loud moments and spirited playing by an absolute
galaxy of British acting talent. But here's where the problems
start. There's just too many cameos, too many thesps jostling
each other for screen space. Clearly flushed with the success
of his first film, director Wright has pulled out all the
stops here, complementing his impressive cast with breakneck
editing, kinetic visuals and thunderous sound effects so
loud that they blast you back into your seat. It was as if
the movie was trying to browbeat me into laughing instead
of letting the mirth flow naturally.
It also felt like the wrong approach
for a project that is essentially a modern-day Ealing comedy – a young,
ambitious city cop promoted sideways to a little country
village where “t'locals are up to nay goode”.
The story plays like a Sunday night episode of Midsomer Murders,
albeit one with a sense of humour. And, to its credit, the
whodunnit plot is exceptionally well-handled – until
the end, when everything goes pear-shaped and the offbeat
tale turns into a crude action farce. Indeed, the ending
seems to go on for ages and, at two hours, the film is far
too long. No comedy should go past the 90-minute mark – there
should be a law against it.
It's a shame because Pegg and Wright
are clearly talented, and their collaborators, like Nick
Frost, seem glad to be back on board, the latter slotting
back into his nice-but-dim sidekick role with ease. But
they need to stop trying to impress. Take an ex-Python's
advice – go back to the
editing table and strip the comedy down to its essentials.
Hot Fuzz feels too much like a rough cut.
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