In elementary school in the very early ’80s, I saw a lot of great movies with David Huckabay. FLASH GORDON. UNDER THE RAINBOW. And, as part of one of his birthday parties, SUPER FUZZ.

Today, I don’t how such an Italian cheapo flick ever got a major theatrical release, but I’m glad it did. For a quarter of a century, pieces of it have been forever stamped on my brain. And now, as with FLASH, its cheesy greatness can be appreciated on DVD. (Carrie Fisher’s dress being removed by a midget, however, sadly remains relegated to VHS.)

Sans usual partner Bud Spencer, the great, toothy Terence Hill stars as Dave, a cop who suddenly gains super powers from a nuclear explosion, much to the amazement of his rotund partner Willy, played by a so-hammy-he’s-on-rye Ernest Borgnine and his screwed-up teeth. Dave can make things happen with his mind! He can predict when elephants will round the corner! He can float! He can walk on water like Jesus Christ! He can run in fast-speed! He can catch bullets with his teeth! He can do all of this and more … unless he sees the color red. Then he’s shit outta luck.

Dave and Willy pursue the stock villains behind a counterfeit money scheme, as Dave learns more about his powers and romancing Willy’s flat-chested laundress niece (Julie Gordon, the poor man’s Susan Dey). Accompanying every single feat of superhuman strength is perhaps the greatest theme song ever written in the history of cinema. If you’ve already seen this flick, no doubt you can hum it. It must be played something like every five minutes in the movie, yet it never gets old. Be-boop-be-boop-be-boo-boo, be-boop-be-boop-be-boo-boo!

Somerville House’s disc features a passable print of the film (retaining its original SUPER SNOOPER title), but I’m not looking for pristine visuals in SUPER FUZZ. As long as it retains that madcap zaniness, all’s good. It does, so it is. More movies should end with the heroes falling through the Earth all the way to China. Then they’d be memorable. –Rod Lott

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This entry was posted on Sunday, March 4th, 2007 at 6:00 pm and is filed under DVD Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.