Sadly Over-hyped

A Masterpiece!

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

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 police at a Boston, Massachusetts precinct search for a mad bomber who's trying to extort money from the city. Meanwhile, the cops must also contend with arson attacks on homeless people, a rapist in a local park, and a string of robberies in the area. Director Richard A. Colla offers a pleasing mix of rousing action and cynical comedy that unfolds at a snappy pace, makes good use of the gritty urban locations, and delivers a colorful portrait of the camaraderie amongst the police who are always up to their ears with their assorted cases. The sound acting from the excellent ensemble cast keeps the movie humming: Burt Reynolds as the laid-back Steve Carella, Tom Skerritt as breezy smartaleck Bert Kling, Jack Weston as the huffy Meyer, Raquel Welch as sassy'n'sexy undercover lady cop Eileen McHenry, James McEachin as the easygoing Arthur Brown, Bert Remsen as irascible desk sergeant Murchison, and Don Gordon as antsy low-life hoodlum Anthony La Bresca. Yul Brynner does well as a smooth criminal mastermind. Popping up in small parts are a bunch of familiar character actors who include Charles Tyner, Britt Leach, Albert Popwell, Norman Burton, and a very young Charles Martin Smith (as a whiny'n'wimpy arsonist). Evan Hunter's episodic script neatly captures the chaotic and unpredictable nature of police work. The fact that this film shows the cops going about their daily routines gives it an extra credibility. The exciting climax nicely ties several subplots together. Jacques Marquette's crisp widescreen cinematography boasts lots of cool mobile camera-work. Dave Grusin's funky-throbbing score hits the get-down groovy spot. A nifty flick.

I am not one who likes police or public safety movies because I cannot relate to Hollywood's false renditions thanks to my experience as a cop in a large city. I can say that this was how police a precinct is with minimal exaggerated humor attached. Police stations may never have that many officers or detectives at one time except at shift change, but there was a scene where almost nobody could could be found at the station which was more realistic. I liked how the movie gave us a lot of different cops, unlike typical movies which show the same one or two cops doing all the work without any collaboration of anyone else. The movie even portrayed police as average boneheads, unlike the unrealistic super brains or Dirty Harry hard-asses usually portrayed in movies. I actually laughed through the movie. I was able to relate more with the cops in this movie than those on "Law and Order" or "CSI".Now the movie was too short to unfold the characters better. I had hoped the cops would actually solve the case and prove they were not "inept" as "The Deaf Man" called them, but that was not to be. All was solved by consequence when all the main perps came together by chance. But, then again, only on TV or in the movies do the police solve all their crimes. I found the movie "Mother, Jugs, and Speed", a cult classic among ambulance people to this day, to be similar in humor.

Put together a cast that includes Burt Reynolds, Yul Brynner, Jack Weston, Racquel Welch, and Tom Skerrit and you would think that you would have a movie worth watching. Not here.I have been busy with work and not able to see Hot Fuzz yet, so I tuned into Fuzz. I needn't have bothered. It was a total waste of time.It was supposed to be a comedy with multiple stories like M.A.S.H., but it just didn't work. I not only didn't laugh once, but it was hard to stay interested.Raquel Welch was totally wasted in this film. Catch her in The Three Musketeers.