Runtime: 102 minutes
Directed by: Samuel Fuller
Starring: Robert Ryan,
Robert Stack, Shirley Yamaguchi, Cameron Mitchell, Sessue Hayakawa
From: 20th
Century Fox
Thankfully I found this rather easily; however, where I got this from will remain... an unsolved mystery:
I hadn't seen a noir in a few months so I went with this one,
different from the norm yet still managing to fit the loose definition
of what people want and expect from the genre. The fact that it was a
color release from 20th Century Fox set and filmed in Japan & was
lensed in CinemaScope-in the original ratio of 2.55:1-makes the
aesthetic completely different from someone like, say, Double Indemnity,
but this is still about former American soldiers (led by Robert Ryan,
whose henchmen include Cameron Mitchell and... DeForest Kelley) who are
still in Japan at the time-due to occupation after World War II-and
committing a bunch of robberies and also cashing in via... controlling
the pachinko market. Yes, 1950's pachinko machines are seen and it's
great.
Anyhow, as the plot description on Letterboxd gives this away, I'll give away that Robert Stack is a soldier who is assigned by the military police to go undercover to try and stop this gang. The movie does take its time establishing this and setting everything up, but it's never dull and once the pieces are in place, it is fun as Stack tries not to blow his cover and he even romances a Japanese woman. I don't believe Stack ever did a traditional noir and that is unfortunate as you'd think he'd be very good at being “a tough”.
For me, this isn't the best that Samuel Fuller ever did by any means yet for me a big asset was getting to spend all that time looking at Japan, its customs and how life was in the country so soon after World War II. As others have noted, Fuller lightly prodded at how awkward it was for Americans occupying Japan and how it was always awkward for them and it wasn't the best thing for anyone involved; that would explain why none of the copious amounts of Japanese was ever translated for the audience, as that'd make anyone feel uneasy and feel like an outsider. To be frank, this rating was bumped up a little solely due to the spectacular way this ends; it is a unique setpiece in a one of a kind setting, and it comes off so well. That alone made this worth watching.
Anyhow, as the plot description on Letterboxd gives this away, I'll give away that Robert Stack is a soldier who is assigned by the military police to go undercover to try and stop this gang. The movie does take its time establishing this and setting everything up, but it's never dull and once the pieces are in place, it is fun as Stack tries not to blow his cover and he even romances a Japanese woman. I don't believe Stack ever did a traditional noir and that is unfortunate as you'd think he'd be very good at being “a tough”.
For me, this isn't the best that Samuel Fuller ever did by any means yet for me a big asset was getting to spend all that time looking at Japan, its customs and how life was in the country so soon after World War II. As others have noted, Fuller lightly prodded at how awkward it was for Americans occupying Japan and how it was always awkward for them and it wasn't the best thing for anyone involved; that would explain why none of the copious amounts of Japanese was ever translated for the audience, as that'd make anyone feel uneasy and feel like an outsider. To be frank, this rating was bumped up a little solely due to the spectacular way this ends; it is a unique setpiece in a one of a kind setting, and it comes off so well. That alone made this worth watching.
No comments:
Post a Comment