Buddy films. They're an interesting breed of cinema. Instead of finding success in a niche, they appeal to the masses. With buddy flicks, you're served a variety of time periods, races, genres, laughs, and scenarios. If one doesn't appeal, the next is sure to come -- all tapping into the goodness of friendship and camaraderie.

And snuggled nicely into that sector of cinema are the buddy cops. They've made the careers of a few big stars, like Mel Gibson and Eddie Murphy. But I don't want to give you something quite so obvious as Beverly Hills Cop or Leathal Weapon. Since this is all due to my recent purchase of Hot Fuzz, I give you that plus an ol' '80s classic -- Running Scared.

Hot Fuzz



While I liked Shaun of the Dead, it was Hot Fuzz that gave Simon Pegg and Nick Frost little checks in the "love" category. As Nicholas Angel, Pegg stars as a hot-shot London cop -- but not in the beloved, media-friendly way. He's so good that his arrest record cripples that of the other officers on the force. Interested more in self-preservation than city safety, Angel gets a new assignment -- a supposedly crime-free little town -- one that coincidentally is greeted with a series of suspicious and horrific accidents. With his bumbling cop partner (Frost), he sets out to continue his a-mazing record.

Pegg and Frost together are good enough that the rest of the cast could be full of amateur, crappy actors and there would still be something good to say about it. But in this case, Hot Fuzz is the exact opposite, with names like Jim Broadbent, Steve Coogan, Timothy Dalton, Bill Nighy, and Paddy Considine. Mix that all in with great laughs, mystery, quirks, and classic movie cop mainstays, and you've got one of the best buddy cop, and buddy film movies in a long time.

TRIVIA

Did you know that Peter Jackson is the Santa Clause who stabs Angel, and Cate Blanchett is the masked, SOCO ex-girlfriend of Angel?

CLIPS

Hot Funk, for those averse to bad language. Funk ugly!

Hot Fuzz Stunt Driving

The garden shortcut scene.

Outtakes.


Running Scared



Pegg and Frost certainly weren't the first goofy cops to hit the big screen. One of the best pairings doesn't get much play -- Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal in Running Scared. And no, this is not that recent Paul Walker flick.

Danny (Crystal) and Ray (Hines) are Chicago cops who are almost killed while on a case, so they're forced to take a vacation. Having great vacation taste, they look towards Key West. While there, they decide that enough is enough -- they will quit the force and open a bar together on the sunny island. But first, they have to head back to Chicago for one last mission -- to bring down Julio Gonzales (Jimmy Smits), a drug kingpin.

Together, Hines and Crystal were magic, and irresistible fun. I just wish they could've teamed up more before Hines' passing.

TRIVIA

There was a sequel called Still Running planned, but the actors didn't think the writing was strong enough and turned them down.

CLIPS

Crystal, weird voices, and huge car phones.

Fan-made trailer.

Opening credits.

Driving around Chicago in style.