WILLIAM FLANIGAN Viewed on DVD. Cinematography = ten (10) stars; locations =ten (10) stars; subtitles = one (1) star. Director Samuel Fuller presides over a film that is mostly a disaster. The plot is pedestrian (American Yakusa (all former U.S. military personnel) doing business in Tokyo), the script is unimaginative (lines seem to be invented by bored actors), the protagonist roles are miscast (see below), and directing and editing are uneven and jumbled (continuity between scenes appears to be an after thought). The movie's title seems to have been picked out of a hat; it bears no relationship to the story. The real stars of this photo play are it's: (1) cinematography (Cinemascope, color) which is simply beautiful (Fuji-San (Mount Fuji) is stunning and never looked better in the winter) and extremely imaginative; and (2) on-location scenes showing what Tokyo looked like about 10 years after the war. The latter provides a fascinating, time-capsule view of street and dock life. (Just ignore the relocation of the colossal Daibutsu (Great Buddha) from Kamakura to Tokyo!) One lead actor is over the hill and it clearly shows; the other lead actor provides a stiff-as-a-board performance (which became his trademark). The part of the Japanese "kimono girl" calls for a Japanese-Japanese actress, not an Americanized-Japanese actress who is also too old for the role. The film score is okay, but not very imaginative. There are no subtitles for Japanese line readings which are frequent and can be rather long. Highly not recommended! WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

Scott LeBrun West meets East in this Japan-set noir tale from screenwriter Harry Kleiner and director Samuel Fuller. It drops characters and viewers into a post-war Japan with citizens leading very ordinary lives. The colour photography and the CinemaScope aspect ratio really add dynamic visuals to the absorbing story. The always excellent Robert Ryan leads a solid cast. An element of romance does slow down the story a fair deal, but things pick up for an intriguingly staged finale that takes place at a carnival.Robert Stack plays Eddie Spanier, a newcomer to Tokyo who makes enough of a nuisance of himself to get noticed by smooth criminal Sandy Dawson (Ryan), who uses pachinko parlors as a front for various enterprises. Eddie, who's keeping a secret from Sandy and his gang, finds himself romantically involved with Mariko (Shirley Yamaguchi), the Japanese wife of a deceased American officer.Fuller takes full advantage of what would have been an unusual setting to American audiences of the 1950s. There are a fair amount of sights and sounds to take in. His opening set piece is a striking train robbery in a snowy environment, and his ending is equally enjoyable. The story ultimately isn't that memorable, but it's reasonably paced and easy enough to follow. Ryan, Stack, and the beautiful Yamaguchi are joined by an eclectic group of actors: Cameron Mitchell, Brad Dexter, Sessue Hayakawa, Biff Elliot, Harry Carey Jr., John Doucette, DeForest Kelley, and Robert Quarry.No, this may not be a great film, but it is an interesting and entertaining one, and it does keep one watching.Seven out of 10.

JasparLamarCrabb Samuel Fuller goes to Japan and makes a Cinemascope combination of THE THIRD MAN and WHITE HEAT. A gang of ex-GI ne'er-do-wells running rough-shot over the Japanese pachinko parlors gets its comeuppance when a government man infiltrates their ranks. Robert Ryan is the psychotic head of the gang and Robert Stack is the tough as nails interloper. They're both terrific as are Cameron Mitchell as Ryan's angry right hand man and Shirley Yamaguchi as Stack's duplicitous mistress. It's all melodramatic, hard boiled and at times a bit silly (Stack's a little over-the-top). There's a particularly bizarre scene between Ryan and potential turncoat Mitchell. Fuller's no holds barred direction is front and center as he shoots one breathtaking shot after another. He takes full advantage of a post-war Japan on the brink of modernization. The finale takes place on an amusement park built on top of a skyscraper. It's a stunner.

MARIO GAUCI This film (which I had previously watched several years back on Italian TV but that viewing suffered from very poor reception at times) is a remake of THE STREET WITH NO NAME (1948) – which, interestingly, comes from the same scriptwriter (Harry Kleiner), cinematographer (Joe MacDonald, now adopting color and Cinemascope) and production designer (Lyle R. Wheeler, though the setting has been relocated from the U.S. to Japan)! The earlier plot line is followed very closely but, apart from this exotic change in locale, there are a couple of other effective differences: whereas in the original the gangster was involved with a woman, here it’s the hero (which actually heightens the danger prevalent in the undercover operation); incidentally, this time around we only learn his real identity half-way through – while the fact that she is Japanese adds an unexpected but sensitively-handled element of miscegenation.The gangster is essayed by a typically impressive Robert Ryan (memorably introduced as the hero is almost literally shoved into his lap, his portrayal here is remarkably restrained but grows in intensity as the film progresses), Robert Stack, the hero, is well cast as an army investigator (rather than an F.B.I. agent) and the woman by an excellent Shirley Yamaguchi; even so, the gangster’s moll character played by Barbara Lawrence in the 1948 film is present here in the figure of Cameron Mitchell, the outfit’s second-in-command (suggesting homosexuality – the latter even throws a fit when his role is usurped by new recruit Stack – and, therefore, marking yet another novel/mature aspect in HOUSE OF BAMBOO; incidentally, Mitchell’s demise is one of the film’s highlights)! The role of the hero’s associates – in this case, an amalgam of U.S. and Japanese personnel, embodied by Brad Dexter and Sessue Hayakawa – is much reduced here, while the presence of a second undercover agent (played in the original by John McIntire) is omitted entirely; by the way, in the cast is also Maltese actor Sandro Giglio but, not being overly familiar with his physical features, I didn’t recognize him.Given director Fuller’s involvement, brutality is even more to the fore in this version – while the exciting climax takes place on a larger scale than before i.e. inside an amusement park; the Widescreen format allows for controlled but striking compositions throughout, particularly during the action sequences (which include a couple of raids by the gang). In the end, the two films are pretty much on a par: the first may have a more genuine noir feel to it perhaps but, at the same time, it lacks the individualistic touch afforded the remake by Fuller’s hand (who collaborated personally on the script, as was his custom) – a more stylish but dispassionate approach which keeps close-ups to the barest minimum. It’s worth mentioning here that another valid contribution to the film’s overall value comes courtesy of Leigh Harline’s fine music score.P.S. Just as I’ll probably get to William Keighley’s BULLETS OR BALLOTS (1936) earlier than expected in view of THE STREET WITH NO NAME, I’ll be giving a spin to a couple of unwatched Fullers as well – namely THE STEEL HELMET (1951) and RUN OF THE ARROW (1957) – thanks to this one; besides, I guess I should make some time for a viewing of THE YAKUZA (1975) too, being another Oriental noir I’ve long wanted to check out…