Writer Evan Hunter concocted this irreverent cop drama, basing it on one of the "87th Precinct" stories which he wrote under the Ed McBain pseudonym. Overall, it's an amusing and watchable addition to the canon of 1970s cop films, although, like a lot of things, it's sometimes funny and sometimes a little tiresome. But its incredible lineup of talent in front of the camera and location shooting help to make it an agreeable diversion.
The main story thread here is that of a murderous extortionist known only as "The Deaf Man" (Yul Brynner, who's lots of fun), but other cases that the heroic & "inept" detectives of the 87th Precinct work on include bums being set on fire, a rapist on the loose, and the constant tailing of a lowlife named Anthony La Bresca (top character actor Don Gordon). New to the precinct is Eileen McHenry (Raquel Welch), a female detective hired to be a decoy for the rapist.
Top billed Burt Reynolds is in fine form here, and he works well with Jack Weston and Tom Skerritt as his associates. They make for an enjoyable team. Welch (looking *extremely* sexy here) and Reynolds, however, were NOT on speaking terms (dating back to making "100 Rifles" together), leading to some awkward staging. Director Richard A. Colla handles the blend of humor and darker elements with some competence if not flair. The film does have a chaotic feel to it in its earlier portions, especially as the offices are being repainted.
There are so many familiar faces in "Fuzz", but it's better if I save time on listing them and just let potential viewers see them for themselves.
Fans of the book charge that this falls far short when book and film are compared, but if you take this on its own terms, you too may feel that it yields adequate entertainment. Funniest sight: Reynolds and Weston, undercover, dressed as nuns.
Seven out of 10.
The main story thread here is that of a murderous extortionist known only as "The Deaf Man" (Yul Brynner, who's lots of fun), but other cases that the heroic & "inept" detectives of the 87th Precinct work on include bums being set on fire, a rapist on the loose, and the constant tailing of a lowlife named Anthony La Bresca (top character actor Don Gordon). New to the precinct is Eileen McHenry (Raquel Welch), a female detective hired to be a decoy for the rapist.
Top billed Burt Reynolds is in fine form here, and he works well with Jack Weston and Tom Skerritt as his associates. They make for an enjoyable team. Welch (looking *extremely* sexy here) and Reynolds, however, were NOT on speaking terms (dating back to making "100 Rifles" together), leading to some awkward staging. Director Richard A. Colla handles the blend of humor and darker elements with some competence if not flair. The film does have a chaotic feel to it in its earlier portions, especially as the offices are being repainted.
There are so many familiar faces in "Fuzz", but it's better if I save time on listing them and just let potential viewers see them for themselves.
Fans of the book charge that this falls far short when book and film are compared, but if you take this on its own terms, you too may feel that it yields adequate entertainment. Funniest sight: Reynolds and Weston, undercover, dressed as nuns.
Seven out of 10.