The Samuel Fuller Film Collection (It Happened in Hollywood / Adventure in Sahara / Power of the Press / The Crimson Kimono / Shockproof / Scandal Sheet / Underworld U.S.A.)

Plenty has been said (both in the surrounding reviews and throughout the somewhat scattershot DVD bonus material) about Mr. Fuller, his personal and professional history, and his worldview-- all of which is interesting from an academic perspective; the problem with Sony's Sam Fuller collection is that the majority of the movies included in it aren't very good. This can't be blamed squarely on Fuller, as his relationship to four of the seven films here is marginal. The three features he is most closely involved with-- 'Scandal Sheet' (3-plus stars, novel on which it's based), 'Underworld U.S.A' (3-plus stars, writer/director) and 'Crimson Kimono' (3-minus stars, writer/director)-- are also the most entertaining, though not classics by any means. The others are cardboard-cutout programmers with little to recommend (Sirk's 'Shockproof' starts out as a passable doomed-romance noir in the vein of 'Gun Crazy,' then goes way off the rails into hammy-Hollywood oblivion; 'Power of the Press,' while well-acted, is so pedantic-- every line laced with righteous, spoon-fed morality-- it's painful to sit through) and easily forgotten. For me, the set is a keeper for the three better titles. As a tribute to Fuller, however, its value is modest. Picture and sound quality are excellent all around and the packaging (containing seven single-sided discs) handsome. Content rates in the neighborhood of 2 1/2 stars combined; presentation 4 stars.

who knew? you got shades, shady dudes, crazy women, and lots of hardboiled eggs getting cracked.the flaw though is they introduce the fad of coffee shops, but we never ever get to see an actual coffee shop. we hear lots of talk about them, but we never get to see if they actually exist. sure there is innuendo that they are in "the back" of a "coffee shop", but how are we to know without seeing all those people sipping on hot cups of Joe? hopefully after reading my review, they will work out the kinks in the remake.

A classic Sam Fuller hard-boiled film, filled with sleazy, down-on-their-luck characters. A little cheesey by today's standards but worth watching, and the streaming print is good.

Another Samuel Fuller gem. An excellent plot, very good pacing and professional cast easily compensate for pedestrian sets. Cliff Robertson is dynamic in the lead. This role uncovers his versatility and range. Robertson's entire performance is mesmerizing.Underworld USA, like other Fuller movies, is short on metaphors but fraught with entertainment and excitement. Underworld USA is very entertaining and highly recommended

It is what it is, and these are hardly the films I remember Fuller for. Perhaps he had to be struggling against low budgets and towards darker aesthetics to do his best work.

I just finished watching all of these films. They were great! Very good story telling with powerful themes. Sam Fuller was an excellent director and writer with ideas that was ahead of his time. I highly recommend this box set if you like Sam Fuller films.

the 7 disc set well worth your money..."Scandal Sheet" alone is out of print and will cost you $22-$30...Fuller had a unique vision...a real gift for heightening tension and suspense

I preordered this set as soon as I knew it was available--been waiting a long time for UNDERWORLD U.S.A. Anyone reading this probably already knows how good and how important Sam Fuller's work is. My purpose is to say that I had no trouble whatsoever with the spindles, cases, or any other aspect of the packaging, unlike an earlier reviewer. Don't be put off. And transfer quality is good .

Bought for Step dad and he’s thrilled with the purchase!

There are a lot of confusing reviews for different releases of this film (including a rather baffling one for "The crimzon Kimono") so I hope my "Headline" makes it clear which BluRay I am reviewing! To be honest I have never got the "cult" status surrounding Fuller. He made some fine movies, many of which I have enjoyed - "Pickup On South Street/Run Of The Arrow/Shock Cooridor" among them. This one?? Nearly a 5 star! The BLURAY quality is excellent. Crisp picture, sound and subtitles, with extras for the afficianado (not seen by me). The story is brutal with no real hero. The violence is cleverly filmed without being too explicit, but it was an "X" now a 12 - Go figure, as they say. As usual Fuller casts his film carefully, not using big well known names. Dolores Dorn is terrific as "Cuddles" Richard Rust gives new meaning (quietly) to a psycho killer. Robert Emhart has the role of his career as the "Mr Big" crime boss and Beatrice Kaye shines as a world weary club owner and friend to Cliff Robertson. And...He is why I took a star off! He just completely failed to convince me as the twisted, cruel non- hero, and as his character is the lead...that's a worry. But, Worry not Cliff fans. This is just my opinion and therefore easily ignored. A well worthwhile film with plenty of messages and sly humour (there if you can find it). I truly can't say I enjoyed it, but all kudos to Powernouse/Indicator for giving us a chance to see this almost forgotten film.