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House of Bamboo

Play trailer Poster for House of Bamboo Released Oct 16, 1955 1h 42m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
85% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 57% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In post-World War II Tokyo, Eddie Kenner (Robert Stack) is on a U.S. Army special assignment to investigate a murderous clique led by ex-soldier Sandy Dawson (Robert Ryan). Kenner ingratiates himself with Dawson and his inner circle, gaining their trust while starting a relationship with Mariko (Shirley Yamaguchi), the wife of a murdered gang member. But the sinister Dawson suspects there's a traitor among them when the police are tipped off about a planned robbery.

Critics Reviews

View All (20) Critics Reviews
Anton Bitel Little White Lies decision to relocate events to postwar, post-Occupation Japan & to shoot there too... introduc[ed] a new geopolitical dimension to all the duplicitous plotting. Fuller also brought this noir out of the past by filming in CinemaScope & DeLuxe Colour. Dec 17, 2020 Full Review David Fear Time Out A masterpiece that pinpoints the sublime in Fuller's sensationalism and earns every inch of its widescreen real estate. Rated: 5/5 Aug 24, 2011 Full Review Variety Staff Variety Novelty of scene and a warm, believable performance by Japanese star Shirley Yamaguchi are two of the better values in the production. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com The boiled down narrative is a basic skeleton out of the film noir closet. But as dressed by Fuller, it's much more of a wild creature. Rated: 3.5/5 Oct 21, 2020 Full Review Alberto Abuín Espinof It's not among his (Samuel Fuller) masterful works, but it's very close to it. [Full Review in Spanish] Jun 28, 2019 Full Review Nathanael Hood The Retro Set The deficit of narrative and tonal cohesion prevents it from matching or exceeding the quality of the film it was loosely remade from: William Keighley's The Street With No Name (1948). Rated: 6/10 Dec 28, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (63) audience reviews
S R Saw it for the cast and for Japan. It had potential, but it was squandered on some cheap direction and short cuts. The ending scene was bizarre on the odd rotating contraption in the sky and the shoot out there. RUS. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/15/24 Full Review William F Good and rare colour 50s footage of Tokyo. Too bad that Sessue Hiyakawa didn't get more screentime. The movie is dated and loaded with cheap orientalism and sexualizing of Japanese women, but otherwise it's acting more like a giant postcard of the curiosities of Japan in the eyes of Westerners. The scenario I found solid, except for the first third when it really took too long to set in motion. The final third is of the greatest caliber. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/07/23 Full Review andrew b This film was shown on the movie channel several times. I never got to watch it in its entirety. I tried ordering it from Netflix discs to no avail. I went to E bay and was able to get a copy. A rarity. This is a great film for those interested in Japan 10 years after the war. Forget little things, look at the overall picture of a country that was at war and the aftermath of crime and daily life . Its a great film if you allow yourself to watch it as if you were in Tokyo in 1955. The actors are tough and great, the scenery is great. I've been to Japan 25 times and while there are great differences now, I can recall many things from this film alone. Its great. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/31/23 Full Review jason m Not among Fuller's best. The photography is nice, but the plot drags, the dialogue is basic, and it's far too plodding. You can skip this. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member "House of Bamboo" é sobretudo uma grande lição de cinema despretensioso e continuamente empolgante, como só Samuel Fuller conseguiria. O realizador que um dia disse que nenhum filme presta, a menos que nos deixe com tesão nos primeiros minutos, sabe perfeitamente de que maneira dispor as peças de "House of Bamboo" para que a nossa respiração passe rapidamente a ser sincronizada com o ritmo imparável desta história de gangsters. Juntando isso a todo um festival de cor apresentado em widescreen, ficamos com aquele que deve ser um dos mais incríveis e subestimados filmes de Samuel Fuller. Não há também como ignorar o facto das palavras "Breaking Point" serem escutadas por duas vezes, porque, mesmo sem isso, "House of Bamboo" pertenceria entre a primeira linha de suspeitos que influenciaram um tal filme de acção com surfistas ladrões e um polícia infiltrado que diz muitas vezes "Brah". É imperdível, com todas as letras. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Otro film clasico y uno de mis favoritos, energico y viril film de Samuel Fueller. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
House of Bamboo

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis In post-World War II Tokyo, Eddie Kenner (Robert Stack) is on a U.S. Army special assignment to investigate a murderous clique led by ex-soldier Sandy Dawson (Robert Ryan). Kenner ingratiates himself with Dawson and his inner circle, gaining their trust while starting a relationship with Mariko (Shirley Yamaguchi), the wife of a murdered gang member. But the sinister Dawson suspects there's a traitor among them when the police are tipped off about a planned robbery.
Director
Samuel Fuller
Producer
Buddy Adler
Screenwriter
Harry Kleiner, Samuel Fuller
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
20th Century Fox
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 16, 1955, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
Mar 15, 2005
Runtime
1h 42m
Sound Mix
Stereo