Caught by the Fuzz

Top London police officer Nicholas Angel (Pegg) is making his colleagues in the force (sorry, service) look bad. With a string of awards and an arrest record 400% higher than anybody else, his superiors decided to take action. Transferred to the sleepy village of Sandford, Angel is paired up with PC Danny Butterman (Frost), a man more interested in cop movie fantasy than real police work. Despairing at the lack of criminal activity in his new beat, Angel soon believes he has uncovered something sinister as a series of brutal "accidents" occur.

There is so much to love about Hot Fuzz. As a parody of action movies it is spot on in it's piss-takery. Film geeks playing "spot the reference" will drool at the myriad little details crammed in there. Finally fans of the Pegg/Frost comedy pairing will not be disappointed in this latest offering. Oh and it also casts Timothy Dalton as a sinister Supermarche owner; clearly his best role since Prince Barin in Flash Gordon. How cool is that?

Aside from Dalton, the movie features a host of British talent as the supporting cast. Bill Bailey and Olivia Colman provide some of the best laughs as Angel's colleagues at Sandford police station -the latter having some priceless innuendo laden one liners. Jim Broadbent is also perfectly cast as the well meaning station chief, concerned with the greater good of the village. Humour runs the range from parody, neat one liners, perfectly timed swearing (usually from Frost), to some subtle sight gags (look out for the spit roast at the village fete). There are also a number of visual cues and set piece camera work during some of the most improbable action scenes that perfectly ape Hollywood.

Comparisons to Shaun of the Dead are inevitable, and if I'm being completely honest Hot Fuzz comes up a little short. Whereas Shaun was a tightly paced and focused parody cum homage of the Zombie flick, Fuzz runs too long and is unsure what it is trying to be at times. The sidestep into horror during the movies second hour doesn't work nearly as well as the scenes taking the piss out of the action movie genre, and as a result the humour is pretty sparse. Thankfully the script finds itself for the last twenty minutes, providing a string of absurd gun fighting and over the top climaxes worthy of any Hollywood blockbuster.

Hot Fuzz was well worth the wait, proving the partnership of Pegg, Frost, and Wright is still a strong force in British comedy. How funny you find the movie will depend on the number of bad action movies you've seen in your time; as someone who has Point Break (though thankfully not Bad Boys 2) proudly displayed on his DVD shelf, I found it great fun.

Blood Diamond

"Then I look around and I realise... God left this place a long time ago". After witnessing the brutal lengths to which man will go to satiate his greed, you'll be inclined to agree with South African smuggler Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio). Set during the Sierra Leone civil war of the 1990's, Blood Diamond is both a gripping action adventure, and unflinching look at the realities of the diamond trade.

A rare "pink" diamond buried in the Sierra Leone wilderness, is responsible for drawing the lives of three very different people together. Local fisherman Solomon Vandy (Dijmon Hounsou), separated from his family during a savage attack on his village by the RUF, knows the diamond's location but cares only for finding his family. Archer, a South African smuggler and ex-soldier, determined to buy his way out of the god forsaken continent by finding the hidden gem. Finally Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an American reporter who wants to expose the hypocrisy and complicity of a western diamond company secretly trading in conflict diamonds.

Despite a straightforward action adventure plot, Blood Diamond thankfully transcends the typical Hollywood take on world history. Director Edward Zwick uses broad strokes to explore the many aspects surrounding the exploitation of a country and it's people. The brutality of RUF militia is shown in graphic and shocking detail. Chief amongst these images are those of child soldiers, cruelly taken from their families, drugged, and forced to kill in the name of liberating the people. He also crafts a memorably hellish cinematic landscape, in the shape of a burning war torn capital city in the aftermath of a fierce clash between RUF and government troops.

Performances from everyone are excellent, with Hounsou getting the lion's share of the emotionally charged dialogue as he struggles to reunite his family. Connelly gives a convincing turn as the reporter sick of Western apathy, desperate to expose the blood on the diamond industry's hands. But I have to save the greatest praise for DiCaprio's stunningly good portrayal of Archer. A bit of bastard at first, he brings much needed depth to what could so easily have been a cliched role. The authentic accent and colloquialisms also go a long way to strengthening the realism of the character. Between this and The Departed, I'm a convert to his considerable acting talent.

Given that the movie does an excellent job in exploring it's complex subject matter, the ending feels far too neat and tidy. It is in keeping with the movies tone so doesn't conspire to dull the impact of the previous two hours, but some may still find it a little jarring. Regardless, you will walk out feeling entertained and educated; a rare combination for a movie from Hollywood.

Blood Diamond is a thought provoking thriller, beautifully filmed, that doesn't shy from portraying the brutal consequences of man's greed.