Review of House of Bamboo (1955) by John H — 12 Aug 2012
Hard bitten technicolour Film Noir film on loaction in Japan just 10 years after the war had ended.
Director Sam Fuller is on top form here as he weaves a tail of love and crime amid the beauty of Japan.
Robert Stack plays a tough army investigator who is assigned the task of tracking down and even tougher gang of ex GIs who have been commiting crimes and leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.
Robert Ryan is excellent as the leader of the gang Sandy Dawson who has no compucture in killing a man left behind or executing one of his own on suspicion of ratting him out.
Fuller of course fills the film with plenty of hard bitten dialogue, but we also get a belivable love story between Stack and Shrirley Yamaguchi as the widow of one of the gang.
Fullers never belittles the Japanese in the film and its to his credit that they are shown in a more positive light to that of a ruthless gang of thugs.
The climax when it comes is deftly staged as Stack hunts down his quarry in a final shoot out to the death.
If you think only quality film noir is shot in black and white then Fullers lurid masterpeice will change your mind it really is that good .
This review of House of Bamboo (1955) was written by John H on 12 Aug 2012.
House of Bamboo has generally received positive reviews.
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