“Hot Fuzz,” August 22

Friday, August 22, 8:30 p.m.

Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL

Boasting a 91-percent approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and hailed by the site's critical consensus as "a bitingly satiric and hugely entertaining parody," director/co-writer Edgar Wright's 2007 cult classic Hot Fuzz enjoys an outdoor screening at Rock Island's Rozz-Tox, the August 22 event treating fans to the second part of Wright's "Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy" that also includes Shaun of the Dead and The World's End.

In Hot Fuzz, Nicholas Angel (co-writer Simon Pegg) is the finest cop London has to offer, with an arrest record 400-percent higher than any other officer on the force. He's so good, he makes everyone else look bad, and as a result, Angel's superiors send him where his talents won't be quite so embarrassing: the sleepy, seemingly-crime-free village of Sandford. Once there, Angel is partnered with the well-meaning but overeager police officer Danny Butterman (Nick Frost). The son of amiable Police Chief Frank Butterman, Danny is a huge action-movie fan and believes his new big-city partner might just be a real-life "bad boy" and his chance to experience the life of gunfights and car chases he so craves. Angel is quick to dismiss this as childish fantasy and Danny's puppy-like enthusiasm only adds to Angel's growing frustration. However, as a series of grisly accidents rocks the village, Angel is convinced that Sandford is not what it seems and as the intrigue deepens, Danny's dreams of explosive, high-octane, car-chasing, gunfighting, all-out action seem more and more like a reality.

With more than 100 action films used as inspiration for the script, principal photography on Hot Fuzz took place in Wells, Somerset, for 11 weeks, and the film was released February 16, 2007, in the United Kingdom before its 4/20 debut in the United States, Its massive cast featuring such talents as Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Bill Nighy, Olivia Colman, Martin Freeman, and an uncredited Cate Blanchett, Wright's comedy received immediate acclaim from critics and went on to gross $80 million worldwide on a budget of $12–16 million. In 2016, Empire magazine named Hot Fuzz the 50th-greatest film of the 21st century, its entry stating that the film "nails the genre clichés, with everything from Point Break to Bad Boys II (both openly referenced) humorously homaged. Pegg's natural chemistry with long-time real-life pal Frost remains endearing as ever. Elsewhere, the Scooby-Doo-meets-Scream mystery is peppered with Britain's finest talent, playing up the English small-town clichés to great effect in a brilliantly incongruous meeting of sleepy rural life and stabby violent action.”

For the August 22 screening of Hot Fuzz, guests are advised to bring blankets or lawn chairs and not bring their own food or drink, as the service window will be open. The 8:30 p.m. screening of the R-rated film will be held in the back garden, weather permitting, admission to the event for ages 17 and older is free, and more information is available by calling (309)200-0978 and visiting RozzTox.com.