Die Hard/Hot Fuzz Genre Analysis

Die Hard Trailer

From the Die Hard trailer it’s very clear that the film falls under the action genre, from the many explosions, gun shots and dangerous feats performed by John McClain. However the trailer does have some comedy elements in it, which confuses the genre slightly, for example at the end Bruce Willis says “got invited to the Christmas party by mistake, who knew?” An action film with some comedy in goes very well together, and has become a typical thing to do in newer films, such as Guardians of the Galaxy or Transformers.

According to Steve Neale’s theory, genre goes through a cycle. Die Hard could either be a classic film, or it could be pushing boundaries. To many it is known as a classic, but the film stretches the boundaries by using comedy. Die Hard was not the first film to use comedy in an action film, lots of films at the time also did it, but it would probably fit in the ‘pushing boundaries’ category’.

Robert Stam’s theory that genre does not exist is partially supported by this film, because two genres have overlapped. However the film is much more of an action film than a comedy, and also comedy elements have almost become a part of the action genre, because so many films now combine them.

Rick Altman’s theory is that genre is constructed via semantic and syntactic elements. The Die Hard trailer supports this, with many typical action props such as guns, and themes such as ‘one outnumbered man versus twelve terrorists’. However the comedy aspect is not shown through semantic or syntactic elements, because the only comedy in the trailer is quotes, and they do not fall under the two categories.

Steve Neale’s other theory is that an audience can enjoy a film either because of repetitive elements of a genre or a change. Die Hard repeats common elements of the action genre, it was nothing new, but it was a very popular film, which can be seen as a classic.

Hot Fuzz

The Hot Fuzz trailer is harder to pin a genre to the film. Initially the trailer looks like a typical police action film, with an expert policeman who is the main character. However soon after a funny scene is shown, where Simon Peg is being relocated because he is so good he is making the other police look bad.  After that scene the music changes and the film turns into more of a comedy. The confusion with the two genres at the beginning is almost part of the films comedy. Half way through the trailer horror elements are shown, with a slasher killer. Towards the end of the trailer lots of action scenes are shown, with car chases, guns, and explosions. This film is a mash up of an action, a horror, and a comedy. But it’s mainly a comedy. Different genres have been combined to create a more unique film, and to appeal to a wider audience. There are so many single genre films, that hybrid genres can be a positive change.

With Steve Neale’s theory this film would probably fit in the pushing boundaries part of the cycle, using a mix of different genres. On the other hand there are parody scenes, for example when Nick Frost asks Simon Peg if he as ‘ever fired two guns when jumping through the air’, this is a common thing in action films but is quite stupid.

This film would be a hybrid of action/comedy/horror, and so Robert Stam’s theory that genre does not really exist makes sense. There are too many possibilities of films that placing them under a genre can be very difficult. However similarly to Die Hard one genre is stronger than the other, and so Hot Fuzz would fall under the comedy genre.

Both the action and horror parts of the trailer can support Rick Altman’s theory. Semantic elements in the trailer are the guns, explosions and cars for action, but the violence, knife, and costume of the killer for horror. Syntactic elements are the two policemen versus murderers for the action film, but there is not a syntactic element for the horror. The film is a comedy but there are no semantic or a syntactic element of a comedy, which means according to the theory the film is not a comedy. This means that the Hot Fuzz trailer proves the theory to be wrong.

Steve Neale’s other theory of why people enjoy films is supported by the Hot Fuzz trailer. The film has repeated lots of common genre elements, for each of the three genres the film could fall under. Showing shoot outs, car chases, a slasher with a knife in black, comedy jokes and characters. However the film has made changes to the film because it is a hybrid genre, and so the theory is supported both ways, people can enjoy the film for the repetition or the change.