Review of Fuzz (1972) by Orlok W — 07 Feb 2013

Based upon Ed McBain's series of 87th Precinct books published between 1956 and 2005, this was the adaptation of the 22nd book in the series, Fuzz, which was published in 1968, and adapted by McBain himself under the pen-name of Evan Hunter.

This was intended to start a series of films based on the 87th Precinct series of books, sadly that never happened, and it is a silly comic-thriller which has a good cast. At the 87th Precinct in Boston, Detectives Steve Carella (Burt Reynolds), Meyer Meyer (Jack Weston), Eileen McHenry (Raquel Welch), and Bert Kling (Tom Skeritt) are investigating the series of arson attacks on homeless men, the Precinct got phone calls warning that this would happen, but the police brushed it off as a crank call.

Plus, there's been a series of robberies and extortions ending in murder, after going undercover, Carella and Meyer as nuns, they discover the mastermind is a mysterious man just known as The Deaf Man (Yul Brynner), but as they get closer, more arson attacks on homeless men occur, as a message to the Precinct.

It's a silly film, and it probably should have been taken more seriously, but it's also a good timepiece of how Boston was in the early 1970's, this and Deliverance helped make Reynolds a star, and he has fun has as the loose cannon detective, and it's a sign of what was to come in his career.