"He's a super-snooper,
Really super-duper!"

Some superhero films have a tendency to take themselves a little too seriously at times. Luckily, Super Fuzz isn’t one of them. Imagine Disney doing one of their beloved live action, light hearted films about Superman and you have a pretty good inkling of the tone of this low budget Italian offering. Filled with slapstick humor and low budget effects, Super Fuzz was a funny, under-appreciated gem.

Police officer Dave Speed finds himself a little too close for comfort when a nuclear missile explodes and he is subsequently doused with radiation-laden red light. He isn’t hurt in the incident but, upon returning to the station, finds that he has some new superhuman abilities. Now able to see through walls, move objects telekinetically, walk on water and catch bullets with his molars, Dave has a whole new set of nifty tools in which to fight crime.

Not so fast – there is one little chink in Officer Dave’s armor; his superpowers have this nasty habit of disappearing when he needs them most. A helpful vagrant on the streets helps him figure out, however, that he loses his powers when he sees the color red. That isn’t Dave’s only problem though; his new abilities have also attracted the attention of Torpedo, a gangster who isn’t too comfortable having a super-cop on the streets. He successfully frames Dave for his partner’s disappearance and apparent murder and Dave is soon headed to Death Row. Ah, but a mere prison can’t keep a superhero contained for very long, as Dave uses his powers to free himself and try to clear his name and find that missing partner.

Super Fuzz, released in 1980, was one of the many superhero films to come out, following the enormous box office success of 1978’s Superman. But while films like Puma Man and Swamp Thing were certainly memorable, few of these films had the same charm as Super Fuzz. Along with a talented cast that included Italian actor, Terrence Hill and Oscar-winner Ernest Borgnine, Super Fuzz was also filled with a number of cartoonish special effects to showcase Dave’s amazing powers that more than made up for the lack of a typical Hollywood budget.

And while Super Fuzz did respectable numbers at the box office, it’s legacy was built upon the numerous showings on late night cable channels in the 80s – earning it a cult status that lingers to this day. It endeared itself to many a viewer who preferred their superheroes lighten up a little and not take everything quite so seriously.