Film Comment - 09/01/2007
"Able to elicit palpable dread with the cheapest productions, Samuel Fuller was long considered the quintessential budget auteur..."

Known for his wide-ranging oeuvre, fierce independence, and controversial subject matter, director Samuel Fuller is a true maverick filmmaker. Presented here are three early films that showcase his hard-hitting style.

The B western I SHOT JESSE JAMES, Fuller's feature debut, is based on the life of Robert Ford, a friend to the famed bandit who later shot him in the back. BARON OF ARIZONA tells the story of con-artist James A. Reaves, an obscure but notorious figure who, in the mid-1800s, forged documents to seize the entire Arizona territory. THE STEEL HELMET, a blunt look at the grim realities of war, follows a wounded American soldier who joins a platoon trapped inside a Buddhist temple. It took Fuller only three weeks to script and shoot the film--the first about the Korean War--and its candid portrayal of racism and war crimes landed him in hot water with the FBI.

Outlaws | Race Relations | Soldiers

Genre:

• Drama Movies

Movie Categories:

• Dramas

Product Series:

• Criterion Collection