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The Crimson Kimono

Columbia Noir • 1h 21m

Directed by Samuel Fuller • 1959 • United States
Starring Victoria Shaw, Glenn Corbett, James Shigeta

Pulp maestro Samuel Fuller lends his slam-bang stylistic punch to this complex, fascinating noir that doubles as a trenchant social document of 1950s America. When a stripper is murdered in LA’s Little Tokyo, Japanese American detective Joe Kojaku (James Shigeta) and his partner Charlie Bancroft (Glenn Corbett) are assigned to the case—but their investigation is soon complicated by both romantic rivalry and racial tension. Fuller delves fearlessly into the knotty undercurrents of the lurid tabloid premise to craft a powerful and daring commentary on racism and cultural alienation.

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