zardoz-13 This ambitious but uneven Boston Police action comedy struggles to be serious and superficial at the same time. Although it qualifies as one of Burt Reynolds' more respectable theatrical film releases before he scored with John Boorman's "Deliverance" and Robert Aldrich's "The Longest Yard," "Fuzz" is standard-issue stuff. Affable Burt and his co-stars conjure up a genuine sense of camaraderie that adds credibility to this above-average thriller. Yul Brynner is cast as a ruthless villain with a hearing problem, but he doesn't participate physically in the action until slightly more than an hour has elapsed in this 92 minute law & order epic. Nevertheless, he makes a memorable exit. Sexy Raquel Welch doesn't have as many scenes as she should have had. She has one hilarious scene in a sleeping bag during a stakeout in the park with Tom Skerritt. Future "Cleopatra Jones" starlet Tamara Dobson has a bit part as Brynner's girlfriend. Interestingly, Evan Hunter wrote the screenplay based Ed McBain's literary "87th Precinct" novels. McBain was Hunter's nom de plume. His screenplay moves in circles but laces the loose threads together for a surprise ending. Wait until you learn the truth about the city painters. "Zig Zag" director Richard A. Colla is imitates Robert Altman with the use of an ensemble cast and meandering plot lines and William Friedkin's gritty "French Connection" surveillance and shoot'em up scenes. In one playful scene, Carella and Meyer, garbed in nun's habits, tail a conspicuous man (Don Gordon of "Bullitt") across Boston. Composer Dave Grusin's title music is superb and embellishes the action with its bone-smacking, gut-heaving, pulsative quality of both Isaac Hayes' "Shaft" theme and Quincy Jones' "Dollars" theme. Lenser Jacques R. Marquette's on-location photography in Boston is nice since most thrillers end up on those familiar New York City streets."Fuzz" is a formulaic police procedural that imitates "M.A.S.H." with its multiple characters. Actually, Colla's film looks like the prototype for ABC-TV's sitcom "Barney Miller." Several scenes concern supporting actors and actresses complaining to the detectives while more important activities occur around them. An anonymous phone caller menaces the 87th Precinct with threats of assassinating city officials while a pair of predatory youth roams the streets at night intent on turning drunks into bonfires. The assassins are fodder-as-usual for this kind of cop operas, but the firebugs are just as unsavory as they were back when this film came out. When our heroes aren't dealing with the assassins and the firebugs, they are bickering with a couple of painters painting the precinct premises. Raquel Welch shows up at the precinct to serve as decoy for rapists. This doesn't keep the guys from kidding her. Boston Police Department Detective Eileen McHenry (Raquel Welch of "Bandolero!") listens patiently and grimaces as a woman complains about a flasher. The woman provides almost too many gory details about her assailant. Meanwhile, BPD Detectives Steve Carella (Burt Reynolds of "100 Rifles") and Meyer Meyer (Jack Weston) wheeze with laughter at McHenry's dilemma. She knows that they are playing a prank on her and she realizes it after the woman furnishes so many details. Finally, a group of criminals are planning to rob a liquor store. Consequently, despite the 87th's penetrating investigations, the anonymous phone caller, in reality a deaf man (Yul Brynner of "The Magnificent Seven"), neither vaunts nor tarries about killing police officials. The two youth kindle a couple of drunkards, one being Carella disguised as a rag picker. Carella is momentarily surprised when he sees how young they are before they torch him. Later, an interesting scene occurs as a surveillance technician praises an African-American detective but addresses him invoking the horrendous N-world. The cop belts him out of sight of the camera. The big shoot-out at the end is staged with finesse. Ironically, a couple of liquor store bandits stumble onto the Deaf Man and his accomplice in a police uniform and start shooting. There are some interesting touches. The wife of Detective Carella is deaf, too.

jbartelone I was expecting a decent police drama out of the movie "Fuzz." With the talents of Burt Reynolds, Yul Brynner, and Raquel Welsh, viewers would anticipate a memorable picture. But considering the acting talent involved, the film is a near disaster with several plot-holes and mood changes in scenes and story lines that confuse, alienate, and annoy the viewer.To the best that I can make out (as I was half-asleep waiting for anything to happen in this picture) Yul Brynner plays a deaf man who has orchestrated the assassination of several high ranking political officials and other selected targets. Bert Reynolds and Jack Weston are the cops who dress up as Nuns. ("NUNS?") to try to stop them, against a backdrop of a discombobulated police station and staff that makes Barney Fife look like an organized lawman! What a mess! There is absolutely no continuity to this film or plot development. You would think that some of the random shooting events would place an element of dramatic suspense, giving the viewers some reason to see this picture. However, in the next scene it's a comedy, than in the following scene it turns serious again. Fuzz is a perfect example of a movie that is only removed from being a 1, because I have given an extra point to the recognition of the actors, and another point for perhaps two good scenes that I liked in the whole movie. However, that's it. Fuzz in my judgment scores a VERY GENEROUS 3.If the script would have stuck to ONE quality serious element, with concern about a strong issue from the cast, Fuzz could have been a passable police film. However, with too much going on at once, a weak and extremely confusing script, and a picture who's writers look like they crammed material from at least three different movies into this one, Fuzz is extremely fuzzy and never comes into focus.

lastliberal 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.

waynec50 Burt Reynolds has made many films, a couple very good, but most are bad. This is possibly the worst. This was supposed to be a big name feature, but a sloppy script, uninspired acting and directing doom it. Burt's miscasting as Steve Carella is bad enough, but Yul Brynner's arrogant, sneering deaf man is wooden. Raquel is forced to hide her best acting assets (you know what) under winter coats, heavy sweaters and boots. There are good actors in it, but they're given nothing to work with. It doesn't come close to the book it's based on. It's hard to believe that prize-winning author Ed McBain was involved in this mess. Avoid it, which shouldn't be too hard, it's hardly ever on TV, and don't waste your money buying or renting it.