The Crimson Kimono (1959)

100% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(355 ratings)

Crimson Kimono stars Glenn Corbett and James Shigeta as Korean War army buddies, working side by side with the LA homicide squad. When stripper Gloria Pall is murdered, Corbett and Shigeta are sent to investigate. Both are smitten by the lovely Victoria Shaw, who is implicated in the crime. Corbett… More Crimson Kimono stars Glenn Corbett and James Shigeta as Korean War army buddies, working side by side with the LA homicide squad. When stripper Gloria Pall is murdered, Corbett and Shigeta are sent to investigate. Both are smitten by the lovely Victoria Shaw, who is implicated in the crime. Corbett becomes jealous of Shigeta, who is deeply hurt, feeling that Corbett's animosity is borne of racism. Their friendship, and the central romance, is resolved after the detectives bring the murderer to heel in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo. Samuel Fuller's love of oriental exotica is never more pronounced than in the climactic sequences, staged before the backdrop of the Japanese New Year celebration. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 24 min.
Directed By: Samuel Fuller
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Oct 1, 1959 Wide
On DVD: Oct 27, 2009
Studio: Columbia Pictures

Critic Reviews

Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
... filmed with great moments of location atmosphere, [this] is one of Fuller's most striking commentaries on race.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The Crimson Kimono is mostly a hard-boiled cop thriller, but also manages to make a defiant anti-racist statement without ever getting on a soapbox.
Rob Nelson, City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Beyond the preponderance of sweaty close-ups and rat-a-tat-tat cutting in Fuller's films, his peacetime cinema views relationships as a string of tribal skirmishes.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Harry Sukman's score courts condescension whenever the action shifts to Little Tokyo, but it's the film's only slip.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's a satisfactory Fuller work...

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Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "The Crimson Kimono", a stripper, Sugar Torch, is shot and killed on Main Street in Los Angeles. Since a witness cannot make a postive identifcation of the killer, the two detectives assigned to the case, Charlie Bancroft(Glenn Corbett) and Joe… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "The Crimson Kimono", a stripper, Sugar Torch, is shot and killed on Main Street in Los Angeles. Since a witness cannot make a postive identifcation of the killer, the two detectives assigned to the case, Charlie Bancroft(Glenn Corbett) and Joe Kojaku(James Shigeta), have little to go on. The only clues they have are a painting in Sugar's dressing room and the knowledge that she was working on a Japanese themed act for Las Vegas. Kojaku talks to an martial arts acquaintance who was set to be featured in the act while Joe talks to a painter friend, Mac(Anna Lee).[/font] [font=Century Gothic]"The Crimson Kimono" gets off to a good start and has memorable characters to spare but eventually the mystery takes a back seat to the personal lives of the lead characters. It does help that both halves of the movie dovetail nicely at the end. The movie is far ahead of its time in its depiction of the Asian-American community in general, and the Japanese-American community specifically. [/font]

Cast

            Victoria Shaw as Christine Downs

            Glenn Corbett as Detective Sgt. Charlie Bancroft

            James Shigeta as Detective Joe Kojaku

            Anna Lee as Mac

            Paul Dubov as Casale

            Jaclynne Greene as Roma

            Neyle Morrow as Hansel

            Gloria Pall as Sugar Torch

            Barbara Hayden as Mother

            George Yoshinaga as Willy Hidaka

            Kaye Elhardt as Nun

            Aya Oyama as Sister Gertrude

            George Okamura as Karate

            Rev. Ryosho S. Sogabe as Priest

            Robert Okazaki as Yoshinaga

            Fuji as Shuto

            Walter Burke as Ziggy

            Robert Kino as Announcer

            David McMahon as Police Officer

            Rollin Moriyama as Man

            Carol Nugent as Girl

            Stafford Repp as City Librarian

            Brian O'Hara as Police Captain

            Allen Pinson as Stunt Double

            Jack Carol as Man

            Harrison Lewis as Waiter

            Edo Mita as Gardener

            Nina Roman as College Girl

            Pat Silver
            
See full cast

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The Crimson Kimono (1959)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

Cast

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