Good Training Film!

Never really been a fan of Simon Pegg at all, not watched Spaced, the first thing that I ever saw him in was Shaun of the Dead. I had bought the DVD in the HMV sale and was immediately hooked on what the actor could do. Hot Fuzz continues that approach as the film is made by the same writers as Shaun of the Dead. Although Pegg is the key focus in the film, it is the vast British acting talent that he has surrounded himself with that makes the film enjoyable and gives it an extra depth to watch.

Having actually worked in the Metropolitan Police as part of the IT Department, it was interesting to hear the name Sandford being used in the film as this is a fictional place that was created by the Police Force when role plays are performed, so it gives some idea of the details that the writers Edgar Wright, also Director, and Simon Pegg actually went to with there background investigations when writing the script. In fact it is this attention to detail that you see throughout the film as Wright has polished up almost every shot without the film losing itself at all.

This is an action film with a number of fast paced sequences that are relevant to the story without losing the focus, bit intertwined with this structured is a whodunit, and the fusion of these two genres brings a refreshing and revitalised dimensional product that the person watching it will be entertained by. All the characters are fleshed out and have a purpose, this is something that with a cast of over 15 main characters was something that I thought would bring the film down, however it has been done in such a way that everyone has something to deliver to the film and each person has a memorable part to play in the story. This brings me to the cast of the film, and I have to say what a cast we have for this one.

Notable screen actors and actresses have been bought together by Wright and Pegg to form a veritable explosion of talent on screen. First up we have Timothy Dalton as Simon Skinner, the Manager of the supermarket. Edward Woodward as the Neighbourhood Watch Warden, Billy Whitelaw as the Hotel Manager. What has been accomplished here is that well known actors have been cast to give the film so major oomph and clout. This works on all levels as you have Paul Freeman from Raiders of the Lost Ark to Jim Broadbent. The vast acting talent makes Hot Fuzz a film that adds a superior touch of class to it overall. I personally was surprised as to the cast list as it does genuinely read as a Who's Who of acting. Add in cameos from Bill Nighy, Steve Coogan, Martin Freeman and even an unrecognisable Cate Blanchett then the film is a leviathan of names. Of course not mentioning the person who played Santa Claus in the opening scene, but he had just directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy!

The locations used in the film are beautifully shot; the town of Wells in Somerset was used as the main setting of the High St, which sets off the story very well. Although it is surprising to find out that the supermarket in the film was actually in Hounslow!