If you were to make a list of the best British action movies or comedies from the last 25 years, Hot Fuzz would definitely pop up on the list, and this gem of a movie has just been re-added to Netflix after a hiatus of over two years.
Hot Fuzz was added to Netflix UK's library on Thursday, August 1, and one week later it's currently sitting on the streamer's ranking of the ten most-watched movies right now — a place that's well deserved! [It's not currently on US Netflix, sadly].
If this is at all a surprise, it's because Hot Fuzz is no stranger to Netflix; since 2017 it's been added five times, always being removed 6 or 12 months after being added, only to be returned after a few months. It was last removed from the platform in April 2022, so it's been gone for quite a while.
Hot Fuzz is the second collaboration between director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost after 2004's Shaun of the Dead (which is also on Netflix); it tells of a big-town police officer who's relegated to work at a small rural town, only to discover a string of "accidents" that are actually murders.
The movie has become a cult hit, thanks to its dry comedy which parodies American buddy-cop movies, as well as the enviable string of memorable jokes and the surprisingly packed cast (everyone from director Peter Jackson to comedian Steve Coogan and actors Cate Blanchett, Martin Freeman and Stephen Merchant show up).
That's proven by its Rotten Tomatoes rating of 91%, as well as its appearance on many top-movies lists of the noughties — and of course the fact that it's managed to become a streaming hit on Netflix despite being 15 years old!
Hot Fuzz was followed in 2013 by The World's End, which isn't on Netflix but is on ITVX. Since then, Wright, Pegg and Frost haven't worked together, despite fans being keen for a return to "The Cornetto Trilogy" as the three films are collectively known as.
If you're keen to re-watch Hot Fuzz (as I am after writing this!) bear in mind its Hokey Cokey style of streaming: its in the Netflix library at the moment, but if you wait too long it'll be out again. So hurry up!
