The Samuel Fuller Collection: The Collector's Choice

Seven films are presented in this celebration of director Samuel Fuller, a former newspaperman, pulp novelist, and soldier who brought his life experiences to his art as he worked his way from screenwriting to directing. But only two are actually directed by Fuller; the rest are either written by him or based on his novels, including some decidedly unimpressive B-movies (1937's It Happened in Hollywood, 1938's Adventure in Sahara, and 1943's Power of the Press). Much better are Shockproof (1949), a romantic lovers-on-the-run picture directed by melodrama master Douglas Sirk, and Scandal Sheet (1952), a newspaper noir based on Fuller's novel The Dark Page and directed by Phil Karlson. But it's as a director that Fuller made his mark, especially when working outside the studio system, making up for paltry budgets with punchy filmmaking and writing that explodes with blunt emotion. Two of those productions debut on DVD here: The Crimson Kimono (1959), a murder mystery and cop buddy film set in L.A.'s Chinatown that offers a striking commentary on race in America; and the crime thriller Underworld U.S.A. (1961), a searing portrait of organized crime as a form of American big business that is one of Fuller's masterpieces. While all of the films look superb, the mix of minor classics and forgettable programmers will appeal to few apart from classic-cinema buffs. The seven-disc set includes interviews with contemporary filmmakers Tim Robbins, Curtis Hanson, and Martin Scorsese on three of the films, as well as the featurette “Samuel Fuller Storyteller.” Optional. (S. Axmaker)