Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright, 2007)
This is just a perfect comedic/action film. Every joke it attempts lands. The plot manages to nicely play upon all the genre conventions, turns the absurd up to eleven, yet manages to be a legitimate entry saying something new about the tensions between the city and the suburban or more rural areas, where they may not have certain crime issues but they do seem to find any manner of minor annoyances worth great concern and blow it all out of proportion. They do this out of a sense that their lifestyle must be perfect. You hear it in things about "no one likes to live in the cities, it is too expensive." Of course, the reason cities are expensive is there is so much demand to live there.
One of the first scenes is just an example of the comedy and the talent involved here. Nick Angel (Simon Pegg) is in the office being told he is being promoted but also sent to a small town police force service by the Sergeant (Martin Freeman). He asks to speak to the Inspector (Steve Coogan). Unsatisfied with this he asks to speak to the Chief Inspector (Bill Nighy, making his return appearance for Wright). Each is does their own little variation on the theme. There are also a couple of references to Shaun of the Dead and a boatload of early set-ups that pay off later in the film.
The cast as things go on is just as stellar. In addition to the pairing with Nick Frost (which I hope will be revived a couple more times, the chemistry is just so fantastic), you get Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Steven Merchant...hell, even Cate Blanchet (I thought it looked like her eyes but I didn't believe it until I read it at imdb) and Peter Jackson make appearances. Of course, last but not least for me to mention is Timothy Dalton playing the delightfully sleazy and obviously complicit Simon Skinner.
So is it obvious enough to say that Pegg/Frost is the best comic tandem of the 00s? Definitely in the top 5-10 pure comedies of the 00s and would make a real good argument for top 100 of the decade.
Rating: 5/5