• Sam Fuller continues his life-long study of the seedy underbelly of society with this low-budget noir/mystery set in Los Angeles.
  • Captivating opening- murder scene/sequence of the stripper
  • These look like actual dingy streets—certainly not a studio backlot. Authentic- the casting of real Asian American actors (James Shigeta in his debut and he’s great here- fine acting by him as he plays the piano and talks about his father) when so many were still using white actors in costume- (see Mickey Rooney in Breakfast At Tiffany’s in 1961) by Fuller and using Little Tokyo and actual streets in LA are connected

    Authentic- the casting of real Asian American actors (James Shigeta in his debut and he’s great here- fine acting by him as he plays the piano and talks about his father) when so many were still using white actors in costume- (see Mickey Rooney in Breakfast At Tiffany’s in 1961) by Fuller and using Little Tokyo and actual streets in LA are connected

  • A love triangle between two detectives (one Shigeta and one white) and a sort of witness to the crime
  • Great shot at the 15 minute mark—Fuller’s camera leisurely tracks a hungover Glenn Corbett (you feel hungover with him with the great shot) through a big apartment opening three doors. It’s a 3-4 minute shot.
  • Like most Fuller films, it’s visceral film depicting an ugly reality, snappy editing- you can see people sweat
  • Anna Lee as a charismatic art critic and bourbon fiend
  • Recommend but not in the top 10 of 1959