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Filmways Pictures
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Here comes the fuzz
Police in Boston search for a mad bomber trying to extort money from the city.
Wuchak
Dec 8, 2020 · via TMDB
_**87th Precinct yarn set in Boston with Burt Reynolds, Tom Skerritt and Raquel Welch**_ Detectives in Boston have to deal with several typical crime issues in the big city, including a money-hungry killer bomber (Yul Brynner). Burt Reynolds, Tom Skerritt, Raquel Welch and Jack Weston head the cast. "Fuzz" (1972) is an 87th Precinct tale based on the book of the same name and written by the author, Evan Hunter, aka Ed McBain. It’s similar in some ways to other big city detective flicks of that era, like “Bullitt” (1968), Dirty Harry (1971), “The Night Stalker” (1972) and “Deathwish” (1974), but it’s easily the least of these because (1) the attempt to shoehorn humor into the life-or-death proceedings, à la “M*A*S*H” (1972), seems forced and (2) the script tries to juggle too many separate incidents with too many characters. One example of the strained humor is the painters working in the headquarters throughout. But some of the humor works. If they would’ve toned down these kinds of artificialities the movie would’ve worked better. But working out the kinks in scripts take time and time means money. In any case, if you can adapt to the movie’s peculiar tone there’s a lot to appreciate here, including the great cast, which includes many recognizable faces, like Charles Martin Smith, Steve Ihnat and Cal Bellini. It’s also worth noting that the film gets better as it moves along with the last act being the best. It was the obvious inspiration for the TV show Hill Street Blues. Fifteen months after its release, 24 year-old Evelyn Wagler was shockingly murdered in the rundown Blue Hill district of Boston in what might have been a copycat crime based on this movies’ depiction of bums doused with gasoline and set ablaze. What made this incident worse was that it appeared to be a racial hate crime, the victim being white and the six teen perps being black, as witnessed by Wagler before she succumbed to her injuries four hours after the crime. The thug scum were never caught. The movie runs 1 hour, 32 minutes. GRADE: B-/C+
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Burt Reynolds
Det. Steve Carella
Jack Weston
Det. Meyer Meyer
Tom Skerritt
Det. Bert Kling
Raquel Welch
Det. Eileen McHenry
James McEachin
Det. Arthur Brown
Steve Ihnat
Det. Andy Parker
Dan Frazer
Lt. Byrnes
Bert Remsen
Sgt. Murchison
Stewart Moss
Det. Hal Willis
Royce D. Applegate
Patrolman Cramer
Norman Burton
Police Commissioner Nelson
Britt Leach
Detective
Brian Doyle-Murray
Detective
Peter Elbling
Detective
Yul Brynner
The Deaf Man
Peter Bonerz
Buck
Cal Bellini
Ahmad
Don Gordon
Anthony La Bresca
Charles Tyner
Pete Schroeder
Gary Morgan
Jimmy
Charles Martin Smith
Baby
Tamara Dobson
Rochelle
George Reynolds
Tiny
Albert Popwell
Lewis
Gino Conforti
Painter
Robert Jaffe
Alan Parry
Neile Adams
Teddy Carella
Martine Bartlett
Sadie
Peter Brocco
Man with Garbage
Jack Perkins
Parks Commissioner Cooper
Bunny Summers
Mrs. Cooper
Russ Grieve
Deputy Mayor Scanlon
Cay Forester
Mrs. Scanlon
Athena Lorde
Mrs. Jefferson
Patty Byrne
Abigail Jefferson
Dominic Chianese
Panhandler
Richard Stahl
Vagrant
Charlie Picerni
Chauffeur
Uschi Digard
Girl on Loop Film (uncredited)
Bob Harks
Policeman (uncredited)
Anne Lockhart
Girl in Car Wreck (uncredited)
Ron Rifkin
Cop Guarding the Mayor's Mansion (uncredited)
Dorothy Jeakins
Costume Design
Glenn R. Wilder
Stunt Coordinator
Charlie Picerni
Stunts
Kenneth Utt
Location Manager
Martin Ransohoff
Producer
Dave Grusin
Original Music Composer
Evan Hunter
Novel
Evan Hunter
Screenplay
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Who Was Maddox?
A Time to Kill
Victim
Room at the Top
The Naked Truth
Chickens Come Home
Untold Scandal
Friday the Thirteenth
Great Guy
The Orgies Villa
Private Lessons
The Champagne Murders
Kalakalappu 2
Blackmail
Her Private Affair
Tukkijoella
Escort
Locker Sixty-Nine
Psych 2: Lassie Come Home
Shadow of the Thin Man
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Porridge
The Parts You Lose
Don't Think Twice
The Seven-Ups
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Johnny Dangerously
Zero Effect
Knock on Any Door
Things Change
The Middle Man
Marlowe
A Dog Year
Where the Money Is
The Cable Guy
The Quiller Memorandum
Winged Creatures
How to Rob a Bank
Jul 14, 1972
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