Here's a fairly typical Italian crime film, partially shot in Austria to make the locations more authentic and interesting. Like most Italian films it's poorly dubbed as usual, with no attempt to make the voices sync with the lips, and some of the dialogue hasn't translated well either. Saying that, FEARLESS FUZZ (gotta love that retitling) has a great, jazzy soundtrack to recommend it, a complex plot with plenty of twists and turns you won't see coming, and I guess the sheer rarity of it makes it more interesting too.
Things open with a hilarious slow-motion action scene involving Merli shooting two would-be kidnappers. The police force aren't too happy about this but Merli manages to avoid them by pretending to give them publicity! Other than that he hangs around in his dirty office while his partner in crime pretends to be Robert De Niro. Eventually Merli receives a cheque in the post from a rich Austrian businessman to track down the man's daughter, so he's on the case.
Merli's case takes him to Austria, where he is repeatedly attacked, beaten and nearly killed by a gang of hoods and thugs (one of whom is the German guy from Thunder Squad). He discovers an English stripper (Joan Collins) called Brigitte who initially helps him out before leaving him to be killed. In the mean time, he investigates the disappearance of a school girl and discovers a secret child prostitution ring. After many double-crosses and murders, Merli solves the case.
Well what can I say? A tape that's almost impossible to find today, I managed to pick up a copy on the scarce Hokushin label from a market, sadly it was growing mildew on it though! Some might say that this movie is deservedly obscure, being as it is a conventional crime thriller that doesn't really offer much originality or moments that make you sit up on your seat. I'm sure that there are loads of similar films like this made in Italy which have never been released in this country; the only reason that this one was is the participation of Joan Collins playing a topless stripper! Merli himself is pretty good as the Franco Nero lookalike tough cop; likewise the supporting Italian cast are quite memorable in their varied roles - I especially like the Austrian detective bloke who doesn't seem to do much! Sadly most of the action and chase scenes take place at night-time, so it's actually fairly hard to make out what's going on. Funnily enough, the Hokushin tape has a PG rating, although I find it hard to believe that a film containing lots of nudity and violence could seriously get a PG certificate this day and age. Other than the distinctive music score and the interesting location work, FEARLESS FUZZ is a conventional crime thriller only of note to those who are fans of the genre.
Things open with a hilarious slow-motion action scene involving Merli shooting two would-be kidnappers. The police force aren't too happy about this but Merli manages to avoid them by pretending to give them publicity! Other than that he hangs around in his dirty office while his partner in crime pretends to be Robert De Niro. Eventually Merli receives a cheque in the post from a rich Austrian businessman to track down the man's daughter, so he's on the case.
Merli's case takes him to Austria, where he is repeatedly attacked, beaten and nearly killed by a gang of hoods and thugs (one of whom is the German guy from Thunder Squad). He discovers an English stripper (Joan Collins) called Brigitte who initially helps him out before leaving him to be killed. In the mean time, he investigates the disappearance of a school girl and discovers a secret child prostitution ring. After many double-crosses and murders, Merli solves the case.
Well what can I say? A tape that's almost impossible to find today, I managed to pick up a copy on the scarce Hokushin label from a market, sadly it was growing mildew on it though! Some might say that this movie is deservedly obscure, being as it is a conventional crime thriller that doesn't really offer much originality or moments that make you sit up on your seat. I'm sure that there are loads of similar films like this made in Italy which have never been released in this country; the only reason that this one was is the participation of Joan Collins playing a topless stripper! Merli himself is pretty good as the Franco Nero lookalike tough cop; likewise the supporting Italian cast are quite memorable in their varied roles - I especially like the Austrian detective bloke who doesn't seem to do much! Sadly most of the action and chase scenes take place at night-time, so it's actually fairly hard to make out what's going on. Funnily enough, the Hokushin tape has a PG rating, although I find it hard to believe that a film containing lots of nudity and violence could seriously get a PG certificate this day and age. Other than the distinctive music score and the interesting location work, FEARLESS FUZZ is a conventional crime thriller only of note to those who are fans of the genre.