--- title: "Hot Fuzz: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/hot-fuzz/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/hot-fuzz" critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Hot Fuzz (2007): what the critics said Critics' score 76 from 9 reviews: 8 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Hot Fuzz, with praise centred on the Pegg–Frost partnership and the collision between English village life and American action-film conventions. The reviews repeatedly single out Pegg’s straight-faced performance, the buddy-cop chemistry and the density of the gags. For many, the affection behind the parody matters: Wright and Pegg understand the films they borrow from, allowing the comedy to work without simply mocking its source material. The reservations cluster around length, repeated jokes and an action-heavy finale that several critics find overextended. The spread is mostly positive, though enthusiasm varies over how well the action supports the comedy. Total Film praises the early comedy but finds that accumulating genres and endings weakens the payoff; The Hollywood Reporter takes a more firmly dissenting view, arguing that excessive affection for the action material leaves too few laughs or thrills. ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Rating A-. 19 April 2007. Hot Fuzz is a loving send-up of action comedies that succeeds through profound affection for the genre rather than mockery. Pegg and Frost shine as a great duo in a film that achieves through parody what most action-comedies cannot straight. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/hot-fuzz-is-everything-an-action-comedy-should-be-1798202664) ## Radio Times — Jamie Russell Rating 4/5. A gleeful pastiche of American action movies that begins as a funny British murder mystery before mutating into an ironic action spectacular. Smart, self-confident comedy proud to be British, showcasing the Pegg-Frost partnership and a wealth of gags. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-zajk7f/hot-fuzz/) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 March 2007. Festival review. The film revels in cliché overload while lovingly parodying and paying homage to action films through contrasts between urban and rural cultures and severe violence and goofy one-liners. It thrives on geeky fanboy cine-passion despite running a bit long and not being as consistently funny as Shaun of the Dead. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/hot-fuzz/) ## Time Out — Ben Walters Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2007. Wright and Pegg successfully graft a Hollywood action aesthetic onto banal English village life with surprising success. Pegg’s straight-faced performance anchors the respectful attitude toward the genre amid a strong cast, though motifs are over-flagged and there are too many climaxes. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/hot-fuzz) ## IndieWire — Nick Pinkerton Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 April 2007. The review examines the film's premise of a high-achieving London cop relocated to a sleepy village. It highlights the buddy dynamic and parody elements in a positive light overall. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-rent-a-cop-edgar-wrights-hot-fuzz-74784/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 February 2007. At its best wildly funny and inventive, subverting British cop drama conventions by blending whimsy with hellzapopping violence and drawing on an enormous frame of reference. Drawbacks include repeated jokes, an overlong runtime, and a protracted finale that risks numbing the viewer. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/hot-fuzz/4030991.article) ## Total Film — Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 14 February 2007. The first hour offers the most fun in a cinema this year with its League of Gentlemen-style riffs and buddy-cop chemistry. The film then loses its way as it piles on too many genres and endings without a satisfying payoff. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/hot-fuzz-review/) ## Empire — Olly Richards The film follows up Shaun of the Dead by transplanting a big-city cop to a sleepy village, where murders begin to occur. It is a great comedy thanks to the chemistry between Pegg and Frost and the quirky villagers, even if the action elements do not quite match the laughs. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hot-fuzz-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 16 February 2007. The critic finds plenty of irrepressible fun and big laughs in the Wright/Pegg/Frost team's follow-up to Shaun of the Dead. He singles out the great comedy double act of Pegg and Frost for praise while noting the film is overlong. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/feb/16/comedy.actionandadventure) ## The Hollywood Reporter 19 April 2007. The film fails to deliver the comic goods or thrills the way Shaun of the Dead did. Wright and Pegg love their shoot-'em-up source material a touch too much, resulting in relentless action without enough laughs. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/hot-fuzz-158072/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane 23 April 2007. The critic views the film as an enjoyable mashup of British rural comedy and American action excess, paying homage while satirizing modern Britain. He singles out the in-jokes, the buddy pairing, and the climactic model-village set piece for particular note. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/04/30/magnum-farce) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis 20 April 2007. The critic finds the film a sharp parody of Hollywood action movies with a heavier comic touch than its predecessor. She singles out the screenplay's knowing recreation of action-film techniques and the central buddy dynamic for praise. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/movies/20fuzz.html) ## Eye for Film — Anton Bitel Rating 4/5. 6 February 2007. The film transposes the buddy cop genre to an English village setting with absurd results and builds from silliness to over-the-top action. It blends Hollywood clichés with British surrealism and village murder mystery in a knowing, loving pastiche full of gags. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/hot-fuzz-film-review-by-anton-bitel) ## Paste — Tim Basham Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 April 2007. Hot Fuzz outdoes most average American buddy-cop comedies with its offbeat humor, though it occasionally emulates them. The script stays true to the quirky style of Shaun of the Dead, making the long action ending forgivable. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/simon-pegg/hot-fuzz) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/hot-fuzz.md