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.
Up Next in Noir
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The Face Behind the Mask
Directed by Robert Florey • 1941 • United States
Starring Peter Lorre, Evelyn Keyes, Don BeddoeDirected with striking expressionist flair by French émigré filmmaker Robert Florey, this poisonous tale of the American dream turned sour stars Peter Lorre as Janos, a Hungarian immigrant who arrives...
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The Killer That Stalked New York
Directed by Earl McEvoy • 1950 • United States
Starring Evelyn Keyes, Charles Korvin, Dorothy MaloneBased on a true story, this race-against-the-clock thriller follows the frantic efforts to stop a potentially deadly epidemic before it turns catastrophic. Jewel smuggler Sheila Bennet (Evelyn Ke...
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The Sniper
Directed by Edward Dmytryk • 1952 • United States
Starring Adolphe Menjou, Arthur Franz, Gerald MohrBlacklisted director Edward Dmytryk—one of the original Hollywood Ten—made his return to filmmaking with this disturbingly prescient psychological thriller. Shot with gritty, documentary-style re...
