House of Bamboo (1955)

92% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
63% of users liked it
(937 ratings)

Samuel Fuller directed and cowrote this typically hard-boiled drama set in Japan following World War II. Eddie Kenner (Robert Stack) is given a special assignment by the Army to get the inside story on Sandy Dawson (Robert Ryan), a former GI who has formed a gang of fellow servicemen and Japanese… More Samuel Fuller directed and cowrote this typically hard-boiled drama set in Japan following World War II. Eddie Kenner (Robert Stack) is given a special assignment by the Army to get the inside story on Sandy Dawson (Robert Ryan), a former GI who has formed a gang of fellow servicemen and Japanese locals who use their muscle to take over Tokyo's pachinko racket and commit a series of train robberies, targeting deliveries of military ammunition. Eddie is supposed to gather evidence on the murder of a soldier believed to have fallen in with the gang, and Eddie tries to blend in with the group to find out how they work. Hoping to learn more, Eddie also begins romancing Mariko (Shirley Yamaguchi), a Japanese woman who was married to the slain gangster, and he learns that the ruthless Dawson kills men who are injured during robberies rather than leave them behind to possibly testify against him. After a burglary goes wrong, Dawson becomes convinced that there's an informer in the group; wrongly believing it's Griff (Cameron Mitchell), Dawson kills his loyal soldier and makes Eddie his second in command. Veteran Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa appears as Inspector Kito, a Japanese police detective working with Eddie to crack the case. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 42 min.
Directed By: Samuel Fuller
Written By: Samuel Fuller, Harry Kleiner
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1955 Wide
On DVD: Jun 7, 2005

Critic Reviews

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.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
A lean, hard-boiled, sharp detective thriller with just a light touch of Madame Butterfly.
Don Druker, Chicago Reader
One of Samuel Fuller's best, a tough, sometimes nasty, but always exciting 1955 effort in 'Scope and color that unites three of his favorite topics: military comradeship, the underworld, and the Far East.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Beautifully photographed and well-written.
David Fear, Time Out New York
A masterpiece that pinpoints the sublime in Fuller's sensationalism and earns every inch of its widescreen real estate.
, Time Out
House of Bamboo offers all Fuller's key themes and motifs in a characteristic thriller form: dual identities, divided loyalties, racial tensions, life (and cinema) as war.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Fuller's masterful use of natural locations within the Cinemascope frame drives the film, especially the climactic shoot-out on a giant, spinning globe at a carnival.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...the positives here outweigh the negatives...
Chris Barsanti, Filmcritic.com
The limits of the lengths to which dazzling camerawork and curled-lip noir bravado can make up for thoroughly ham-fisted dialogue are tested in Sam Fuller's gangster picture
Keith Uhlich, Slant Magazine
Ugly American noir hero seeks single Japanese female companion for subtly homoerotic love triangle.
Keith Uhlich, Slant Magazine
House of Bamboo has some of the most stunning examples of widescreen photography in the history of cinema.
, Film4
An underrated crime drama, House Of Bamboo might not be the sum of its parts, but there's still a lot to like about it, not least Fuller's unsentimental approach to the subject matter.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Fuller, as always, is resourceful and fresh.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Randy T

This could have been a credible film noir piece were it not for the inept dialog, the brightly lit sets and the insistence that Japanese people are merely movie props to be placed here and there throughout the film like houseplants.
Bruce B

January has been the month of House movies. That is watching movies with house in the title. This one filmed in 1954 in Japan a time when the United States had very little culture influence on that country and this film shows the old beauty of Japan. Loaded with a host of stars. Its… More
January has been the month of House movies. That is watching movies with house in the title. This one filmed in 1954 in Japan a time when the United States had very little culture influence on that country and this film shows the old beauty of Japan. Loaded with a host of stars. Its about a Gang of crooks from the US robbing different places in Japan, and during which a army soldier is killed and the army sends an undercover man in to bust the gang. Its a great story with great color. 4 1/2 stars, they just don't make films like this anymore.
Michael G

Even though the director is amazing, this movie could double for a torture device were it not for the beautiful Japanese setting.
Walter M

In "House of Bamboo", ex-soldier Eddie Spannier(Robert Stack) arrives in Japan looking for a friend of a his who had promised him work. His widow, Mariko(Shirley Yamaguchi), informs him that he was shot by his cohorts during a robbery. Spannier wants answers but the only… More
In "House of Bamboo", ex-soldier Eddie Spannier(Robert Stack) arrives in Japan looking for a friend of a his who had promised him work. His widow, Mariko(Shirley Yamaguchi), informs him that he was shot by his cohorts during a robbery. Spannier wants answers but the only clue has to go on is a mention of pachinko parlors in a letter. So, he starts shaking them down for protection money until he comes across a gang led by Sandy Dawson(Robert Ryan). "House of Bamboo" works better as a travelogue(due primarily to its excellent location shooting in Tokyo and Yokohama) than as a mystery. It could also be seen as a commentary on imperialism in that it is about a gang of American armed criminals preying on Japan(not to mention these same men's less than kind treatment of Japanese women) but it is also important to note that the Americans and Japanese work together to try to bring them down. Robert Stack is as interesting to watch as paint dry but Robert Ryan does a very cool job playing a master criminal.
Brian R

A commercial picture directed by Sam Fuller. "House of Bamboo" reminds me a bit of "The Departed" but on a lighter scale(probably for commercial reasons). I admire the locations, Robert Stack as the undercover agent, Shirley Yamaguchi as the "Kimono girl"… More
A commercial picture directed by Sam Fuller. "House of Bamboo" reminds me a bit of "The Departed" but on a lighter scale(probably for commercial reasons). I admire the locations, Robert Stack as the undercover agent, Shirley Yamaguchi as the "Kimono girl" and Robert Ryan as the gangster kingpin. Fuller is quite good with camera movement, the use of unexpected violence, and even taboo themes that deals with interracial. What did bother me was the visual idea of shooting on Cinemascope(for 3D effects), also felt the characters aren't really flushed out as they should have been, and the picture's climax also let me down. There should have been a better way to end the picture instead of using cheap violence.

Cast

            Robert Ryan as Sandy Dawson

            Robert Stack as Eddie Kenner/Spanier

            Shirley Yamaguchi as Mariko

            Cameron Mitchell as Griff

            Brad Dexter as Capt. Hanson

            Sessue Hayakawa as Inspector Kito

            Sandro Giglio as Ceram

            Harry Carey Jr. as John

            Peter Gray as Willy

            Robert Quarry as Phil

            DeForest Kelley as Charlie

            John Doucette as Skipper

            Teru Shimada as Nagaya

            Robert Okazaki as Mr. Hommaru

            Barry Coe as Hanson's Deputy

            Fred Dale as Man

            William "Wild Bill" Elliott as Webber

            Fuji as Pachinko Manager

            Elko Hanabusa as Japanese Screaming Woman

            Robert Kino as Policeman

            Rollin Moriyama as Pearl Man

            Neyle Morrow as Army Corporal

            Reiko Sato as Charlie's Girl

            Samuel Fuller as Japanese Policeman

            Biff Elliot
            
            Bob Okazaki
            
See full cast