House of Bamboo

Released Oct 16, 1955

1h 42m

Crime

Drama

List

85%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

58%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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.

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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

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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

Audience Member

I liked it, but I felt that there were some strange plot holes that kept me from really sinking my teeth into it. That said, the final scene was great (if silly)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

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Samuel Fuller

Director

Robert Ryan

Sandy Dawson

Robert Stack

Eddie Kenner

Shirley Yamaguchi

Mariko

Cameron Mitchell

Griff

Brad Dexter

Captain Hanson

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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

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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
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