the fresh films reviews

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Fuzz (1972)

Director:
Richard A. Colla
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Crime/Comedy
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Vi er pol'ti
RUNNING TIME
92 minutes
Producer:
George Edwards
Jack Farren
Ed Feldman
Screenwriter:
Evan Hunter


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Det. Carella Burt Reynolds
Det. McHenry Raquel Welch ½
The Deaf Man Yul Brunner
Det. Kling Tom Skerritt
Det. Meyer Jack Weston
Det. Brown James McEachin
Sgt. Murchison Bert Remsen
Det. Parker Steve Ihnat
Buck Peter Bonerz
La Bresca Don Gordon
Lt. Amos Byrnes Dan Frazer
Police Commissioner Nelson Norman Burton
Pete Charles Tyner
Teddy Neile Adams
Rochelle Tamara Dobson
Baby Charles Martin Smith

 

Review

TV director Richard A. Colla's attempt to transfer Evan Hunter/Ed McBain's "87th Precint" novel "Fuzz" was ambitious with regards to form and scope, but Colla clearly lacked the skill and style to make it all work as a whole. He throws us into the character-heavy, bustling offices of the 87th Precint in Boston, trying to create that delicate balance between light comedy and serious detective story in which characters float in and out of focus in MASH-esque narrative style, and plot lines are laid out more or less in parallel, and more or less intertwined. It could have worked had it been done with more sleight-of-hand. As it is, the comedy is either overdone and annoying (such as with the two ridiculous painters) or not clever enough. And the main criminal plot lines, although potentially explosive thematically, aren't portrayed with the sensibility or tension they should have been. Hunter's point here, of course, is that the fuzz lacks the competence and backing to do good police work, but Colla isn't able to illustrate this other than through the clumsiness of the lead characters. I feel sorry for Burt Reynolds, Tom Skerritt and Jack Weston who had to put up with such banalities when they could have created interesting characters with depth. One cannot help but ponder what Robert Altman could have done with this material.

Copyright © 29.03.2020 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang [HAVE YOUR SAY]