The World’s End. All three movies brilliantly parody film genres, specifically zombie movies in Shaun of the Dead, sci-fi movies in The World’s End, and action movies in Hot Fuzz.
Like Shaun of the Dead and The World’s End, Hot Fuzz particularly rewards repeated viewings. Much of this should be credited to the kinetic directing style of Wicker Man-like conspiracy, the clues are undoubtedly there.
In an early scene in Hot Fuzz, Angel visits his ex-girlfriend Janine (Cate Blanchett, among Hot Fuzz's excellent cameos) to tell her he has been transferred from London’s Metropolitan Police Service to Sandford. During a conversation about the end of their relationship, she points out that it was Angel who had suggested that they split up. However, his response that "guilty people often make the first move," has a significance that goes beyond their relationship. Upon arriving at Sandford, his words are repeatedly shown to be true as of the Neighborhood Watch Alliance (NWA) often make the first move to greet him or proclaim to know who he is. Obviously, this foreshadows that the group is committing murders to make sure Sandford wins the village of the year competition.
How Hot Fuzz's NWA First Moves Justified Sergeant Angel's Suspicions
Given his mindset, the belief that “guilty people often make the first move,” certainly justifies the suspicions of Simon Pegg's Sergeant Angel about the supposedly accidental deaths in Sandford. His specific suspicions of Simon Skinner (former James Bond actor Timothy Dalton) are likely aroused the moment that the two men meet. As Angel is going for a run on his first morning in the village, Skinner starts running alongside him and says, “Lock me up… I’m a slasher and must be stopped,” before clarifying that he's the manager of the local supermarket and therefore “a slasher of prices.” Despite this, and when added to Skinner’s other suspicious and seemingly malicious behavior, there are powerful justifications for Angel and the film's audience to believe he is displaying his guilt.
The fact that so many of the other of the NWA know exactly who Angel is in the mysteriously "9"-filled story of Hot Fuzz, and they make the first move to greet him s his belief about the actions of the guilty. Of course, this knowledge is likely to come from the fact that Sandford is a village where everybody knows everybody, meaning that gossip is its lifeblood. Nevertheless, since Frank Butterman is the head of both the police and the NWA, it makes sense that he informs the of the NWA about the timing of Angel's arrival, offering another subtle hint at his guilt.
The slight discrepancy with this idea is that not every member of the NWA makes the first move in welcoming Angel. For example, while Frank Butterman s him before he travels to Sandford, he is also the one who personally introduces many of the other of the NWA to Angel. This means that they, technically, don't make the first move in Edgar Wright's horror-influenced third movie. However, this does not necessarily undermine the idea. After all, Angel never claims that guilty people always make the first move. As it is, the storytelling details in Hot Fuzz, combined with the number of NWA who make the first move in addressing him, mean it is entirely plausible that Angel’s dialogue with his ex-girlfriend has a deeper meaning, as foreshadowing the movie's killers twist.
