Samuel Fuller was an American filmmaker who directed 24 movies between 1949 and 1990. Before getting into the director’s chair, he worked as a journalist, novelist, and screenwriter, and had also served in World War II. These experiences informed his approach to storytelling. He excelled at Westerns, crime dramas, and war movies, which he told with grit and cynicism and a focus on ordinary troops.
Fuller was an auteur with a distinctive style and a contrarian spirit. His work often rails against ideologies and instead focuses on individuals and freedom. He was also an experimentalist, not afraid of using unorthodox techniques. As a result of his anarchic spirit, Fuller was an influence on many French New Wave directors. Although he usually worked with small budgets, the director’s best work feels grand and expansive, demonstrating his talent for using limited resources effectively. These are Fuller’s best movies, ranked.
10 ‘House of Bamboo’ (1955)
Starring: Robert Ryan, Robert Stack, Shirley Yamaguchi, Cameron Mitchell
“Ever since you saved this guy’s neck, you’ve been acting funny.” Set in postwar Tokyo, this noir centers on an American ex-serviceman, Eddie Kenner (Robert Stack), who becomes entangled in the city’s criminal underworld. He infiltrates a syndicate, hoping to bring down gang boss Sandy Dawson (Robert Ryan). However, he soon finds himself torn between loyalty to his country and his growing affection for Mariko (Shirley Yamaguchi), a Japanese woman caught in the crossfire.
House of Bamboo is not only a tense thriller but a portrait of a Japan in flux, where modernity and tradition were clashing and old certainties were in doubt. The aftereffects of World War II are plain to see. Fuller engages with these ideas through a combination of stereotypical noir storytelling as well as a surprising amount of melodrama reminiscent of director Douglas Sirk. This can be seen in the film’s gorgeous, stylized cinematography, making effective use of silhouettes, bold colors, deep focus, and impressive wide-screen.
9 ‘The Baron of Arizona’ (1950)
Starring: Vincent Price, Ellen Drew, Vladimir Sokoloff, Beulah Bondi
“It is not your crime – it is your weakness that alarms me.” Vincent Price leads this Western as James Reavis, a charismatic swindler who concocts an elaborate scheme to claim ownership of the entire Arizona territory. Reavis forges documents and fabricates genealogies, posing as the rightful heir to a Spanish land grant dating back centuries. However, his web of lies begins to unravel when a determined government agent, John Griff (Reed Hadley), starts investigating.
This plot seems rather exaggerated, but it’s actually based on a true story. Here, Fuller blends historical intrigue and melodrama, making for one of the more interesting Westerns of the 1950s. It wouldn’t succeed, however, without the compelling performance from Price. He’s complex; suave and villainous, but not without some redeeming qualities. Despite his misdeeds, the viewer even sympathizes with him at times. In many ways, this character is similar to some of the more well-known horror roles Price would later take on, as in House of Usher and Witchfinder General.
8 ‘Fixed Bayonets!’ (1951)
Starring: Richard Basehart, Gene Evans, Michael O’Shea, Richard Hylton
“You’re not aiming at a man. You’re aiming at the enemy.” Fixed Bayonets! is a Korean war film about an American platoon tasked with holding a crucial strategic position against overwhelming enemy forces. When their commanding officer is injured, the responsibility falls on Corporal Denno (Richard Basehart), a reluctant leader haunted by his past failures. As the bitter cold of winter sets in and the enemy approaches, Denno must grapple with fear, doubt, and the weight of command while trying to keep his men alive.
There are a number of memorable sequences here, like the soldiers’ attempts to trick the enemy into thinking their numbers are far greater than they really are. The action scenes are also dynamic and immersive, capturing the chaos of battle with precision. They probably drew from Fuller’s own battlefield observations. Although not as deep as Fuller’s best work, Fixed Bayonets! deserves credit for attempting to tell a story about that war while it was still very much underway.
7 ‘Forty Guns’ (1957)
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan, Gene Barry, Robert Dix
“I need a strong man to carry out my orders.” Forty Guns is a zany Western centering on Jessica Drummond (Barbara Stanwyck), a powerful rancher who controls the land with her iron fist and her forty hired guns. When Griff Bonnell (Barry Sullivan) and his two brothers arrive in town as federal marshals, they quickly find themselves at odds with Jessica’s reign of terror. Things get even more complicated when Griff and Jessica begin a passionate, dangerous romance.
Despite a seemingly straightforward premise, the film’s narrative is rich with complexity, featuring political corruption, theft, betrayal, and ample hardboiled violence. While not quite revisionist, Forty Guns certainly defies expectations. It frequently dismantles Western tropes or swerves in unpredictable directions. There are showdowns and gunslinging here, but Fuller puts his own spin on them. He gets stylish too, using unorthodox shots and rhymic editing to great effect. Cinematographer Joseph F. Biroc also shows off his skills with intense close-ups and extensive tracking shots, the longest of which lasts five minutes.
6 ‘The Big Red One’ (1980)
Starring: Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobby Di Cicco
“Surviving is the only glory in war.” This late-career gem from Fuller focuses on a U.S. Army infantry squad, known as “The Big Red One,” throughout World War II. Led by the seasoned Sergeant Possum (Lee Marvin), the squad, consisting of Griff (Mark Hamill), Zab (Robert Carradine), Vinci (Bobby Di Cicco), and Johnson (Kelly Ward), among others, experiences the brutal realities of combat from North Africa to Normandy and beyond.
The film draws on Fuller’s own combat experiences, making it all the more hard-hitting. It offers a gritty perspective of war from the viewpoint of ordinary soldiers, primarily focused on survival and basic needs like food and comfort. They are battle-hardened but cynical, keeping newcomers at arm’s length to avoid emotional attachment, knowing they’re likely to die. Some of the plot developments seem a little too familiar now, but only due to the abundance of World War II movies that have been made. The Big Red One stands out with its honesty, capturing both the camaraderie and the tragedy of the soldiers’ experience.
5 ‘White Dog’ (1982)
Starring: Kristy McNichol, Paul Winfield, Burl Ives, Jameson Parker
“You got a four-legged time bomb!” This horror movie revolves around Keys (Paul Winfield), a Black dog trainer tasked with rehabilitating a vicious stray dog trained to attack Black people. Despite the daunting challenge, Keys becomes fixated on the belief that he can rehabilitate the animal. The film essentially fuses the menace of Cujo with the social commentary of Get Out, with a genuinely frightening canine antagonist.
There’s much food for thought here, with the movie asking whether prejudice is a disease or a learned behavior and whether it can really be cured. Perhaps thinking these ideas were too provocative, studio execs at Paramount Pictures got cold feet and shelved the movie for years, making it difficult to find. White Dog only got a proper home video release in 2008 via The Criterion Collection. In the wake of this, the movie reached a larger audience and more critical approval, earning praise for its compelling narrative and exploration of racism. Directors like Jim Jarmusch and Quentin Tarantino have also cited it as a favorite.
4 ‘The Naked Kiss’ (1964)
Starring: Constance Towers, Anthony Eisley, Michael Dante, Virginia Grey
“You’ll be sleeping on the skin of a nightmare for the rest of your life.” Fuller once again melds noir and melodrama with The Naked Kiss, a pulpy but highly entertaining tale about a small town and its hidden darkness. At the heart of the story is Kelly (Constance Towers), a former sex worker who arrives in a seemingly idyllic town hoping to start anew. Despite her troubled past, Kelly strives to lead a virtuous life and becomes involved with the local police chief, Griff (Anthony Eisley). However, her past soon comes back to haunt her.
In particular, the film delves into Kelly’s struggles with credibility in a society dominated by hypocrisy. It gets surprisingly thoughtful, functioning as a psychosexual drama and a social critique. This is largely thanks to the layered characterization. All of the main characters here and believable and complex, drawn in shades of gray. The film is a favorite of director Brian De Palma, who called one of its pivotal scenes a “revelation”.
3 ‘Shock Corridor’ (1963)
Starring: Peter Breck, Constance Towers, Gene Evans, James Best
“You know why so many people came to my funeral? They wanted to make sure I was dead.”
Journalist Johnny Barrett (Peter Breck) concocts a daring plan to win a Pulitzer Prize by getting himself committed to a mental institution to solve a murder case. Pretending to suffer from amnesia, he infiltrates the asylum with the help of his girlfriend Cathy (Constance Towers) and his editor Swanson (Paul Dubov). His plan works a little too well, however, and he begins losing touch with reality.
Like his World War II movies, Shock Corridor draws on Fuller’s own experiences, as he worked as a journalist as a young man. Perhaps his years in the industry left him jaded because the main character here is a deeply flawed and morally compromised individual. Barrett craves the truth, but he’s also egotistical and narcissistic, pursuing glory more than justice. He and the asylum he’s imprisoned within quickly become a microcosm for American society as a whole, with Fuller taking shots at both the media and the public.
2 ‘The Steel Helmet’ (1951)
Starring: Gene Evans, Robert Hutton, Steve Brodie, James Edwards
“That man’s nothing but a corpse. Nobody cares who he is now.” Fuller’s finest war film, The Steel Helmet focuses on a small, diverse group of American soldiers isolated behind enemy lines after a brutal ambush. Led by the tough and resourceful Sergeant Zack (Gene Evans), the men must band together to survive against overwhelming odds while grappling with their own fears and prejudices. Among the group is a young Korean orphan, nicknamed Short Round (William Chun), whose presence challenges the soldiers’ preconceptions.
The film is lean and mean, clocking in at just 85 minutes and using minimalist, black-and-white cinematography to convey its gritty atmosphere. Its bold style is evident from the get-go, with a terrific opening credits sequence, depicting an American army helmet with a bullet lodged in its side. The narrative keeps ratcheting up from there, culminating in a climactic battle set in a temple. It’s impressive that Fuller was able to craft such a grand and impactful film from a budget of just over $100, 000.
1 ‘Pickup on South Street’ (1953)
Starring: Richard Widmark, Jean Peters, Thelma Ritter, Murvyn Vye
“Sometimes you look for oil, you hit a gusher.” Fuller’s most accomplished project follows Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark), a seasoned pickpocket who inadvertently lifts a wallet containing microfilm sought after by both communist spies and American authorities. When Skip realizes the importance of the stolen information, he becomes caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse between the FBI, represented by Agent Zara (Jean Peters), and the ruthless communist agent, Joey (Richard Kiley).
Pickup on South Street is Fuller’s take on a Cold War espionage film, told with his characteristic violence and harsh sensibility. Here, he strives for realism, inspired by the neorealist movies being produced in Italy at the time. This extends to the characters too, none of whom are pure or innocent. Fuller critiques everyone. Indeed, J. Edgar Hoover actually complained about the movie’s portrayal of FBI agents; clearly Fuller struck a nerve. The highlight is the performance from Thelma Ritter, who received an Oscar nod for her efforts.