Wretchedly under-budgeted, with second-rate actors - yet the film still delivers a powerful visual punch.
There are two principle reasons for this: first, the script is uncompromisingly pessimistic, so much so that the finale remains shocking and yet wholly satisfying on some weird, existentialist level.
Second, Sam Fuller, despite a crash budget, still uses what camera and editing clout his technology allows to pull us through the usual B-Movie set-ups into some very weird visual surprises - and again the finale is exceptional and completely to the point on this.
This is a movie made by a man who just loved to make movies - and who knew how to twist our prurient interests in exploitative material against us. Fuller's films remain critically important, because they are both loving and critical of their audience. Fuller helped redefine the notions "noir" and "hardboiled' for the 1950s and beyond, and proved in this film that he could still pull it off in the jaded '70s.
Admittedly dated, yet still well-worth the trip.
There are two principle reasons for this: first, the script is uncompromisingly pessimistic, so much so that the finale remains shocking and yet wholly satisfying on some weird, existentialist level.
Second, Sam Fuller, despite a crash budget, still uses what camera and editing clout his technology allows to pull us through the usual B-Movie set-ups into some very weird visual surprises - and again the finale is exceptional and completely to the point on this.
This is a movie made by a man who just loved to make movies - and who knew how to twist our prurient interests in exploitative material against us. Fuller's films remain critically important, because they are both loving and critical of their audience. Fuller helped redefine the notions "noir" and "hardboiled' for the 1950s and beyond, and proved in this film that he could still pull it off in the jaded '70s.
Admittedly dated, yet still well-worth the trip.