4. Hot Fuzz Screenplay
First, I know Simon Pegg deserves half the credit when discussing the screenplay for Hot Fuzz but this list is about Edgar Wright. Perhaps we'll have to do a list for Mr. Pegg as well at some point. Now, with that said, this script is note perfect. A shining example of the best a comedy film can offer. The jokes are fast and furious while the characters are still fully realized and relatable. There are tons of witty, dry jokes in the first half of the film with minor punchlines followed by major punchlines by the end of the film. It's an amazing feat to pull off -- especially considering that every joke and setup had a payoff. Every. Single. One. The fascist/hag joke comes full circle as does the doctor being able to take care of himself. Let me reiterate. Every single setup has a payoff. When in recent memory have you watched a movie that paid off in the way Hot Fuzz did? Tonally, this movie was all over the place, but not in a bad way. It was full of dry humor that became uproarious. It dabbled in horror with a twinge of cult conspiracy and then it went flat out action on us. Laying out a proper blueprint is essential if you're to construct a monster such as this. The tonal shifts are violent yet organic. You never feel the struggle for a proper balance, it just exists. I have no problem considering this film the best comedy I've seen since Ghostbusters. Wright nailed it.