Hamfisted and a little silly, yes, but it packs a vigorous punch. As it descends into deeper levels of insanity, Fuller's technique becomes more pronounced. There are a number of fantastic set-pieces, my favorite involving an in-door thunderstorm.

Outrageous, sleazy, but still a powerhouse movie by maverick director Fuller. This starkly photographed black-and-white film features agonizing close-ups, a pint-size stripper perched on a pillow case, a black man in a KKK hood screaming racial slurs, color flashbacks unabashedly snipped from movie travelogues, a squad of malevolent "nymphos," and a violent thunderstorm raging in a hospital corridor. Not completely successful, but it sticks in the mind longer than many "perfect" movies.

The more I think about it the more I like it.

#624

Watchable due to the visuals (blank walls, stark shadows; atmosphere) and the solid pacing, but the depiction of mental illness is very silly, often to the point of bemusement.

The social message is a bit blunt (nationalism, racism, and nuclear arms are mad, I tell you!), and the view of schizophrenia is outdated. Still, it's not badly done for what it is. And it's good to see Philip Ahn in a role that isn't some "sinister Oriental" stereotype.

Just bad. The plot is erratic, the morality is shopworn, the depiction of mental illnesses and the text in general are completely unrealistic and much of the acting is terrible (Constance Towers' especially). I really don't see why this is so well liked.

One of the most nightmarish movies ever made that's not technically horror. Thank you again, Mr. Fuller

Not too much crapola this time from Fuller (though there is some of it of course). And anyway, it's in an asylum, so that stuff fits right in.

This doesn't work on any realistic terms - I'm not sure why this works - it just does. Probably my Fuller fanboy coming out.

Deliciously vulgar and blunt. A real treat for fans of insanity and the morbid.

# 715

I'm no expert, but this seems like a very cartoonish depiction of insanity. Also the way it addresses society's ills is rather ham-fisted. But, you know, it was still okay.

Who knew Sam Fuller fucking RULES! Way cool film about a Journalist pretending to be a nutbar to solve a murder. Though all the cast are exellent, Hari Rhodes steals though the show as a black dude convinced he's a white supremacist. Don't just see it, OWN it!

The film grabs hold of the audience, pauses for effect and booms, "I AM IMPOTENT, AND I LIKE IT!"

Mostly fascinating, though the first person voice-overs seem a little unnecessary and the social commentary is a little too conveniently placed. Peter Breck delivers a pretty good performance.

677

"Oh. Nymphos." Granted: It IS highly unrealistic, but it is also thematically interesting and surprisingly creepy, strange and unnerving. Add to that a broad selection of convincing performances and Fuller's keen eye for details and pacing, and you've got yourself one really good movie.

Didn't grip me one bit. It looked like every actor had never set foot in an asylum at all. Terrible.