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Simply Perfect

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Against Hollywood's mainstream value, Samuel Fuller's vintage L.A. murder mystery gallantly sets off a love triangle where a Caucasian woman falls for an Asian man in lieu of the latter's Caucasian friend, but the nisei has his own battle to fight, concerning the congenital racial bias stigmatized Japanese-American in the wake of WWII. Yes, first of all, there is a murder, a burlesque stripper Sugar Torch (Pall) is gunned down on the main street in the Little Tokyo district, and two detectives Joe Kojaku (Shigeta) and Charlie Bancroft (Corbett) are investigating the case, they are Korean war veterans and best friends, even sharing a snug apartment, their police procedural pans out a bit languorously, but Fuller profiles the enclave's ethnographic traits with a wandering eye, while the meat of the story is concerned with a key witness, Christine "Chris" Downes (Shaw), who paints the portrait of Sugar Torch dressed in a crimson kimono for the preparation of a Japanese-themed act (one can only imagine what technicolor would do justice to the chromatic appeal here). When her own life is in peril after drawing an identikit of the possible killer, Joe and Charlie invite Chris to stay in their apartment, naturally both bachelors become besotted with her, but it is the interracial romance gains an upper hand (Joe is the more refined, sensitive and art-savvy one), which leaves Joe clammed up in a state of guilt of betraying his best friend, as he knows Charlie reckons Chris as the girl of his dreams, and when the truth finally comes out, Joe's inborn inferiority complex reaches a boiling point, moreover, let's not forget a heartless killer is still at large (although a whodunit's allure has seismically eclipsed by a torrid love triangle at that stage), and Fuller fabricates an analogous tie-in between the killer and Joe, which rounds off the story adequately during the annal Japanese pageant in the Little Tokyo.A fly in the ointment is that Fuller insensitively shoves the moral ambiguity to Chris, being the one who is courted by both men, she doesn't refuse Charlie's advance in the first place and acquits herself as if she has no qualm of reciprocating Joe's feelings, then, even egregiously acts oblivious of the fact that it is her deeds drive a wedge between them, and isn't it up to her to clear the air? Of course, such action isn't allowed in Fuller's script. Consequently, audience will find more relish in a Bourbon-tippled Anna Lee, whose worldly counsel including "Love does much, but Bourbon does everything!". A Golden Globe-winning Shigeta seizes upon this rare opportunity vested by this groundbreaking treatment of racial minority and the lingering, deleterious fallout of WWII afflicting on the next generation, thus, breaks the glass ceiling as an Asian leading actor, with his palpitating affection and disarming demeanor, in Fuller's off-the-radar metteur en scène.

Slickly done 90 minutes from self-described "primitive" Sam Fuller. A few trademark blaring close-ups do appear, but otherwise it's a surprisingly restrained technique from one of that era's quirkier film-makers. Racial themes predominate in many of Fuller's works but this one may be his most explicit. The murder case functions mainly as a hat on which to hang the racial triangle. Cutting edge at the time, I suspect the film has since lost impact because of loosening racial barriers. Nonetheless, when Shigeta engages Shaw in an erotic lip-lock, we know WWII is definitely over.The cast is excellent, particularly Shigeta and Corbett whose buddy scenes are both natural and rather touching. The beauteous Shaw also plays well as the conflicted white woman, along with Barbara Hayden in a nicely turned role as the uncooperative young mother. However, Anna Lee as the alcohol swilling artist strikes me as a misfire, much too contrived and obvious. The film benefits greatly from the location photography, highlighting an LA downtown usually bypassed by glamor-drenched Hollywood.In dealing with the racial theme, the movie brings up an interesting angle. Namely, how to distinguish a normal human emotion from a culturally based racial prejudice. Shigeta interprets Corbett's jealous reaction as an act of prejudice rather than a normal jealous response to Shaw's preference for the Nisei over the white man. There's an interesting ambiguity here, worthy of deeper development, even though the script deals earnestly with the question.Fuller injects considerable local color into the proceedings, including an exotic Kendo competition with traditional ritual and the annual Little Tokyo parade that serves as an interesting backdrop. Fuller at his most typical, however, occurs early on when half-dressed stripper Sugar Torch flees down the street of LA's skid row, dodging shabby pedestrians, but ultimately to no avail. It's a luridly compelling few minutes. Still and all, the movie lacks the film-maker's customary tightness, meandering too much to produce the kind of impact that I expect he hoped for. Nonetheless, that ambiguity between emotion and prejudice remains as relevant now as it was then.

This starts out as a lurid thriller - probably what the studio demanded, and Fuller had fun with - the murder of a stripper on a crowded street. Then we get the two detectives, and we think, "Ah, a buddy film." Our first tip that something fresh is afoot is Joe's visit to the cemetery of the 442nd Battalion - the most decorated group of soldiers in WWII. These were Nisei (Americans of Japanese descent) who were often fighting in Europe while their relatives were in internment camps in California. We also get a brief tour of "Little Tokyo" in Los Angeles. Ah, exotic atmosphere. Our buddies - the handsome winsome Charlie (Glenn Corbett) and nisei Joe (James Shigeta) have a wisecracking patter that covers their deep friendship. Then the case leads them to Chris, played by Victoria Shaw - not only beautiful, but possessing a dignity rare in fifties actresses. We take for granted that Charlie's going to fall for her, and expect her to fall for Charlie...Then there is The Conversation. We learn that Joe has a sensitive side, he plays a nice piano and his father was an artist. Chris is an artist, and they have something to talk about. Shigeta's so charming, we're not surprised that Chris is drawn to him, we're surprised the picture allows it. That's the flip: that this interracial love story is allowed to proceed on its own terms. From that scene on, nobody cares who killed the stripper. We want to see how Joe can resolve stealing his best friend's girl, or whether Chris will react to being treated like something that could be stolen. When Joe finally tells Charlie that he loves her, Charlie reacts "You mean you're going to MARRY her?" Joe responds, "You wouldn't have said it that way if I was white!" Huge blowup. Racism has been thrown into the mix. As it would have been, and probably would be still. Or is it the perception of racism? My only problem was that Joe says the racism is new to him...Impossible. He'd have been called a "dirty Jap" at least a dozen times before he was ten years old. He'd have heard it in the army - that's why the 442nd was sent to Europe, after all. He'd've heard it on the police force. His reaction to Charlie should have been, 'Not you, too!." But nevertheless, it all works pretty much as life does. He gets the girl, but his friendship with Charlie is damaged forever.

When stripper Sugar Torch disturbs a murder in her dressing room she is chased into the street and gunned down by an unknown assailant. Detectives Charlie Bancroft and Joe Kojaku investigate the only leads they have – the new men in Sugar's life who were to be involved in her new act, embracing teasing, karate and doomed love. Bancroft goes after artist "Chris" who had painted Sugar in full kimono while Kojaku goes after the men who were to be involved in her act. It turns out Chris is Christine and that she is more valuable than they had hoped – problem is, main suspect Hansel knows this too and soon the detectives are guarding her from attempts on her life.A strange film this one. It opens in the sordid world of striptease, continues with the murder of a young woman and leads straight into a police investigation. This suggested it would be a gritty and tough thriller which at times it is, but at other times it plays up the love triangle aspect and then at others seems interested in just showing us a little bit of Asian-American culture. This individual sections do bump up against one another uncomfortably at times but mostly they sit reasonably well as part of the film. The effect is to produce a really interesting film, partly because the mix is unusual and well delivered. The mystery aspect of the plot keeps the narrative flowing along well enough and engaged me even if the ending was a bit convenient and easy.The love triangle part works better than I expected mainly because it uses it to compliment the male characters rather than being about the love part. This allows the two actors (Corbett and Shigeta) to deliver solid characters and play off one another really well. They are not brilliant in regards range but both more than meet the requirements of the material – Shigeta being a bit more able to convince in the love regards as well as the conflict side while Corbett does an all-round solid turn as a tough but friendly cop. As writer Fuller mixes the various aspects really well while also producing a bit of cultural significance in the way that the Asian-American thing is merely a trimming and not the whole show.Overall then a solid film that blends mystery, love, grit and conflict into one story. It doesn't flow perfectly but it is engaging for what it does well and not bad for those aspects it does less well.