Sienna Ludka

Professor Adriane Mozzini

Sociology 001

16 July 2017

Project 1: Video/DVD Analysis

In Edgar Wrights 2007 action comedy film, Hot Fuzz, the story of a police officers

strange experience in a small, sleepy town evidently proves to be an example of the significant

and intricate ways in which society functions. In the film, Nicholas Angel, a well-renowned

police officer, is transferred from the city of London to the little town of Sanford. Known for

consecutively being awarded the title Village of the Year, Sanford is not entirely as flawless as

it seems. Upon his arrival, Officer Angel becomes increasingly aware of illegal activity that

occurs in the town, including underage drinking, shoplifting, illegal possession of firearms, and

even murder. However, upon persistent questioning, Officer Angel finds that all of these aspects

are concealed by the authority figures of Sanford. Towards the end of the film, it is revealed that

the towns Neighborhood Watch Alliance has been the source of these suspicious occurrences. In

order to maintain the faade of Sanford being the perfect, most beloved village, they would

ignore crime and even murder those that threatened their title.

Because of its representation of the complex relationships within a society, Hot Fuzz can

be interpreted in many ways, especially by the sociological perspectives of Auguste Comte, Karl

Marx, and Emile Durkheim. According the Comtes positivism perspective, this scene

effectively illustrates exactly what Comte was against. Comtes law of three stages, the

theological, the metaphysical, and the positive, ultimately argues that the central goal of society

should be that individual rights and free will are respected above all else. Therefore, because the
authority figures of Sanford care more about their reputation than the individuals that make up

their society, Comtes perspective of positivism is contradicted by the film. When observing this

scene through Karl Marxs Conflict Theory, it is possible that this social paradigm applies in

some ways. The Conflict theory states that social order can only be seen as a competition for

material, cultural, and social resources. Although there is not a specifically obvious sense of

competition between social classes in this film, there is a recognizable difference between the in-

group and out-group of Sanford. For example, the elite members, such as the Neighborhood

watch Alliance and the police, have authority over each individual in their community. Because

their actions directly affected those that were outsiders to their group, it is possible that this

unbalanced power played an important role in this society. Also, because Marx strongly

advocates for change, he might see the dysfunctionality of Sanford and the disparity of power as

an issue that requires immediate resolution.

Due to this scenes overall representation of how the town of Sanford operates as a

whole, Emile Durkheims functionalist perspective serves as the most accurate viewpoint to

depict this society. According to Durkheim, the functionalist perspective can be exemplified by a

living organism in which all of the unique parts work with one another in order to operate

efficiently. When this kind of balance is achieved, society is able to grow and maintain a solid

foundation. This perspective becomes evident when Officer Angel finds that the goal of this

specific society is to function perfectly. One significant aspect that is mentioned throughout the

film several times is the greater good being the most important goal to maintain as a society. If

everyone does their part by being a quality citizen, this society can function properly and is able

to prosper. However, when a part of this society is not working towards this goal, the people of

Sanford will go to whatever means to resolve this issue, even if it includes eliminating certain
individuals from their community. As a result, Emile Durkheims functionalist perspective

would best represent the society of Sanford.