Smart, funny British cop comedy hits all its targets
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<p align="justify">The 2004 movie "Shaun of the Dead" was labeled a "rom zom com," a comedy about zombies that included a large element of romance.
<p align="justify">"Hot Fuzz," the new movie from "Shaun" director Edgar Wright, could be called a "rom cop com" - it's a comedy about cops that, like all great action movies, contains a large element of romance.
<p align="justify">Between the cops, of course.
<p align="justify">In "Hot Fuzz," Simon Pegg (Shaun in "Shaun of the Dead") plays Nicholas Angel, a London cop who's so good at his job that his arrest record shames the rest of the force. So he gets shipped off to Sandford, an idyllic village that hasn't had a murder on the books in decades.
<p align="justify">Naturally, Nicholas gets bored running in drunks (one of whom turns out to be his new partner, Danny, played by "Shaun" co-star Nick Frost) and suspects that Sandford's suspiciously low murder rate and obscenely high accident rate might be connected. He's right, of course, but he's also completely wrong. The criminal conspiracy in Sandford goes much deeper than even a top-notch cop could suspect.
<p align="justify">"Hot Fuzz" is the sort of sharp, fast-paced, packed-with-jokes comedy that makes you wonder why all movies can't be like it. From the opening scenes where Nicholas says goodbye to his girlfriend (Cate Blanchett, hidden behind a crime-scene mask) to the hilariously over-the-top finale (involving a white horse, an escaped swan, a miniature village and more firepower than "Die Hard"), it never stops being smart or overplays its hand. The plot keeps you guessing; the performances are, as the Brits like to say, spot on; and though it's packed with in-jokes and movie references, they never get in the way of the story.
<p align="justify">Or the romance. On one of the DVD's making-of features, Wright and Pegg say they considered giving Nicholas a girlfriend in Sandford but realized the real love story was between Nicholas and Danny. A cop movie fan who can't believe he's working with a genuine top cop, Danny has a platonic crush on Nicholas from the get-go.
<p align="justify">But the emotional crux of the story is Nicholas' slow realization that there's more to life than being a by-the-numbers crime-fighter. He loosens up, Danny toughens up and, in the end, they realize they're perfect for each other - as strictly straight police partners. Then the gunfire resumes.
Will Pfeifer writes about new DVDs on Tuesdays and older ones on Sundays. Contact him at 815-987-1244 or wpfeifer@rrstar.com.</font>