Super Fuzz

consider myself a snobbish shaman when it comes to filmy knowledge. When I speak on motion pictures, the words flow from my body as if medicines and elixirs intoxicated me. Be it the opus Zapped! or the classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space, I pride myself on bringing to illumination the forgotten masterpieces of cinema. I bark obscure film knowledge. That is why I am praising the likes of one of the top ten most overlooked films of the early 1980s: Super Fuzz aka Super Snooper aka Poliziotto superpiù.

This comedy, live action, sci-fi/fantasy and action/adventure film even made it to my coveted top 25 Movie Moments list:

19.) The super powers of Officer Dave Speed…Dave becomes able to move objects with the mind force, discover mysterious crimes, jump with no problem from a skyscraper and blow a massively huge bubble from one piece of gum to save he and his friends from a sunken ship. Like most heroes, there is a weakness…the color red. (Super Fuzz, 1980)

This film was a force on late night HBO during my hazy childhood. It played everyday and night. I recorded it on VHS and watched it religiously along with the above-mentioned Zapped!

Super Fuzz was a superhero like no other. Behold his powers! He makes all the people in the Orange Bowl (tens of thousands of people!) disappear into the unknown reaches of time and space with but a thought! The physics and theories behind these mind force powers have serious implications and are staggering. I only aspire to have such mind force powers.

I recently acquired a mint condition vinyl recording of the film's catchy and amazingly plentiful disco theme song 'Super Snooper' by The Oceans:

'He's a super-snooper, Really super-trooper!'

That Ernest Borgnine made the film even better as Sgt. Willy Dunlop.

It is mandatory viewing for any serious student of film. 'Super, Super!'

Cast:

Terence Hill as Dave Speed, Ernest Borgnine as Sgt. Willy Dunlop, Joanne Dru as Rosy Labouche, Marc Lawrence as Torpedo, Julie Gordon as Evelyn

Sergio Corbucci directed Super Fuzz.

I was very happy to find this movie for sale after years of searching. Super Fuzz was my favorite movie as a child and I got to see it lots of times since HBO played it every other day in the 1980s. It is not Oscar material or a movie worth owning in most peoples' eyes. The acting is pretty average, the story silly, and the cinematography bland. It is in my collection because of all the 1980s memories it brings back and has a pretty cool theme song.

That was Dave Speed's brilliant explanation for the loss of his superpowers.

I am ashamed to admit I spent most of the summer of 1985 watching this after I'd taped it on HBO. Those precious days will never return, but at least watching Superfuzz was better than real life for me back in 85.

All these years later, to this day, I can sing you the theme song. Now I just need to convince my wife to watch it (5-10 minutes will do).

I give it a 7 just because the pre-adolescent in me deserves a voice too.

I remember first watching this film way back when it was in heavy rotation on HBO in the early 80s. This was long before I discovered Terence Hill's Spaghetti Westerns like My Name Is Nobody and his Trinity films. I certainly didn't know anything about Sergio Corbucci's impressive body of work. What I did know was that Terence Hill and Ernest Borgnine made for a lot of laughs. The film was never meant to be taken seriously. That should be obvious from the title alone. It's a parody. It's slapstick. It's fun.

If you're not into that sort of thing you probably won't like the film. Of course, if you're not into that sort of thing I don't know why you'd be watching a film called Super Fuzz to begin with.

If you have a sense of humor and enjoy films like Police Academy and Trinity, you'll probably enjoy Super Fuzz.

Worth watching for the dubbing, acting, music, and possibly the most hilarious special effects you will ever see. Is it pure comedy, or is it ALL just terrible? You'll have fun deciding.

I especially liked the "underwater" scene where the sweat was beading off Ernest Borgnine's forehead as he floated to the surface with Super Fuzz on the giant bubble. Now that's comedy. Enjoy!