I thought this movie was a mess.
My main complaint was that it was just too much. Too long at over 2 hours. It was unfocussed, seemingly sending up slasher movies, murder mysteries, action movies, all without saying much about any of them. And, the tone occupied some middle ground where I didn’t think they wanted to make fun of action movies, but really wanted to be one, but spent half the movie apologizing for not knowing how to make one.
I know the style is quite different, but they don’t have a keener eye for satire or cliche than any of the Zucker movies, or even Scary Movie. “The Last Action Hero” managed to be a good action movie, while also spoofing action movies. As an action movie, Hot Fuzz was terrible. Which is forgivable if the entire last 40 freakin’ minutes wasn’t non-stop gunplay, foot chase, and car chase. But, “Last Action Hero” was made by a guy who made his bones in the genre. He’s entitle to turn it on its head. I don’t feel that the “Hot Fuzz” guys ever really liked or took action movies seriously. From their point of view, pointing out the shortcomings is just “snarking”; when they tried to put real action sequences into the movie, they fell flat because the director is out of his element.
To me,
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It’s funny that the country bumpkin thinks that the big city cop shoots his guns while flying through mid-air, or in the middle of car chases.
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It’s funnier when Martin Lawrence and Fresh Prince do it “for real” in Bad Boys II, or other Michael Bay films. . .this is where most of the laughs in “Team America” come from. . .making fun of it by playing it straight.
But, then, I don’t get Hot Fuzz’ take on it. . .they’re already poking holes in the cliches and then resorting to them? The last half-hour felt like they were explaining the joke.
Take two guys flying through the air with pistols blazing. I’m envisioning a gag where maybe they’re flying through the air sideways, reload in mid air, change direction, and keep firing. . .a Zucker take on it. Or perhaps after pointing out the ridiculousness of the maneuver (which they had already done), they find themselves in a situation where the only way out is to dive through the air with pistols blazing. What I don’t get is just doing it straight after needling it. I’ve already laughed at the maneuver through their discussion of it earlier. It’s like they were making fun of action movies for people who don’t watch action movies. . .an intellectual take on it, instead of an insider’s take on it.
Odd, crazy, mixed-up, unfocused movie.
That said, I didn’t hate it: Great performances. Every one of them. Dalton was great. Some of the comic timing was perfect. I loved the whole bit when he was getting booted from London. Loved Stephen Merchant. Liked the goose gag.
Really liked everyone in the cast. . . .Bill Nighy, the two detectives (especially the one from “In America” and “Cinderella Man”. He’s a great actor.)
I probably would be more positive if they shaved it to 90 minutes. I was getting real angry towards the end. Lot of that “forced laughter” vibe in the theater.
