Directed by Edgar Wright, Hot Fuzz works on many levels. It's a brilliant comedy, a slasher film, and a fantastic satire of Michael Bay-style action movies. But while it pokes fun at Point Break and Bad Boys II, it's also a solid action flick that revels in the joys of badass 360 shots and images of guys flying through the hair, Glocks in each hand.
Sgt. Nicholas Angel, on the other hand, absolutely hates all this action movie foolishness.
Played to serious perfection by Simon Pegg, Nicholas Angel has no time for fun and games. The man is all about bringing down bad guys the proper way. When we first see Angel, he's marching straight towards the camera, all purpose and no nonsense. His stony expression perfectly matches the photo on his ID, and as Martin Freeman's narration kicks in, we discover that Angel is the world's greatest cop.
In a rapid-fire montage, we watch as Angel takes on rioters, brings down drug dealers, and survives an unwelcome gift from Father Christmas (Peter Jackson). We learn he's an expert at everything from cycling and judo to the 100-meter dash. And when he's not beating his teammates at chess and fencing, he's putting them to shame in the streets by racking up the highest arrest record for any officer in London. He's brilliant in the classroom and beloved by the community, and through it all, he never cracks a smile. He's the perfect police officer, and the whole opening montage is a fantastic setup for seconds later, when Angel is kicked off the force...for being too perfect.
