House of Bamboo

There's not really any suspense or mystery to be had here, but style pulls it through. There's something decidedly modern in the camera angles and movements, and the widescreen lens is used to tremendous effect. The Tokyo locations are used well, and the film succeeds in not exploiting Japanese culture, though it doesn't provide much real insight either.

Robert Ryan is pretty good. Fuller doesn't bring his A-game as a director, and the writing ranges from poor to uninspired, except for a few nice setups for classical suspense.

Although Ryan does not disappoint, Stack's not at his best, and love scenes between him and Shirley Yamaguchi are stilted and uncomfortable to watch. The real star in this remake of "The Street with No Name" (1948) is the Cinemascope view of post war Japan and the finale in a Tokyo amusement park.

I like the idea of taking a hardboiled crime thriller and transporting it to a foreign country. The stakes didn't feel quite the same as the best noir out there though. The guy does small-time jobs the whole time and gets unraveled by a bunch of unforced errors. Ah well just a nitpick.

Really good. Nice style, good characters, interesting scenery.

Doesn't feel very noirish at the start, but once it gets into the heart of the story most of the genre staples are there. Ryan doesn't get enough screentime, but he certainly makes for the film's brightest moments. The acting and with dialogue are fine, but nothing special. The plot isn't great, but it's enough to hit all the right beats and give the film some great moments. The cinematography helps too, not your usual noir photography but with inspired compositions nevertheless.

Viewed June 5, 2021.

That final sequence was perfection!

Star Rating: ★★★★1/2

Might not even crack my Fuller top five, but holy shit this is one of the best films.

watched: 2012, 2020

Despite being color, the tone is unmistakably noir, and I always enjoy watching noir. The Tokyo setting is a nice twist, and Fuller makes good use of the locations. The story is nothing new, but it's a fun time with a thrilling ending. I have yet to be all that impressed by Fuller, but this is my favorite of his so far, with a few very clever shots. As a child of the 70's and 80's, however, I can't look at Robert Stack without thinking about Airplane!.

"House of Bamboo has some of the most stunning examples of widescreen photography in the history of cinema." - Keith Uhlich