The musical moment that foreshadows the plot twist in ‘Hot Fuzz’
You might roll your eyes when you’re flicking through the television guide and see that Hot Fuzz is playing again, but chances are, you’ll sit down and watch the whole thing. The film, directed by Edgar Wright, is a British classic that is genuinely funny and thrilling all in one, and it’s hard not to love revisiting Simon Pegg’s Nicholas Angel and Nick Frost’s Danny Butterman.
Hot Fuzz is the second entry to Wright’s Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, which began with Shaun of the Dead and ended with The World’s End. Each film stands on its own, parodying other genres while also becoming iconic entries to these respective canons themselves. With Hot Fuzz, Wright made one of the best buddy cop movies of all time. The real-life friendship and collaborative relationship between Pegg and Frost make the film feel so much more enjoyable.
The small Gloucestershire village in which the film is set, Sandford, provides a unique backdrop for the film, which works within a genre that we typically associate with flashy Hollywood productions. Wright’s direction is tight, with the narrative constantly advancing forward with gruesome murders, shocking revelations, comic relief and thrilling action scenes. It is revealed that Inspector Frank Butterman, the leader of the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance, has been guiding the volunteers on a murder spree in order to ensure that the area wins ‘Village of the Year’.
It’s a comical twist, yet some of the murders we witness are truly horrific. The movie descends into chaos as the truth begins to unravel itself, with Angel coming to realise that nothing is as it seems in the seemingly quaint village largely populated by elderly people. Wright uses several techniques to foreshadow the identity of the killers, such as certain lines of dialogue and even a specific piece of music.
The film uses The Kinks’ recognisable track ‘The Village Green Preservation Society’ from their 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society during a scene early on. As Angel is jogging through Sandford, being greeted by residents as he passes them in the street, the song plays over the top of the sequence. The title clearly alludes to the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance’s aim to preserve the village so that it wins an award for being the best kept in the area, but it’s easy to hear the track and not connect any dots straight away. It’s not until you rewatch the film that the use of the song becomes so glaringly obvious.
Another key moment of foreshadowing comes when Angel is talking about his break-up with his ex-girlfriend, Janine. He says to her, “Guilty people often make the first move,” with this line clearly taking on a double meaning. With this line in mind, Wright foreshadows the ways that the friendly members of the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance – who are actually the killers – always say hello to Angel as soon as they see him. This is evident in the clip where The Kinks song plays; he can’t enjoy a jog without every person he passes greeting him and acknowledging him as the new Sergeant in the area, much to his confusion.
Watch the scene where ‘The Village Green Preservation Society’ plays below.
