DeForest Kelley, Cameron Mitchell, Robert Ryan, Robert Stack,
‘House of Bamboo’ (1955).

By Paul Parcellin

We’ve already talked about films with Americans overseas acting badly. It seems that whenever a region is beset by war, a pack of jackals descends on the still twitching carcass of civilization to devour whatever meat is left on its bones. In noir, Americans usually take part. They seem to gravitate toward spots where laws are negotiable and ethics optional. Postwar Europe, colonial ports and occupied cities are fitting locales for this villainy.

There are some noirs about Americans, supposedly carrying democratic virtue abroad, who instead adapt quickly to corruption. Then there are the films with Yanks who enter no man’s lands, become enmeshed in the dark goings on and either deliberately or by accident throw sand into the well-oiled machinery of criminal enterprise there. Here are some examples of that:

Robert Stack, ‘House of Bamboo.’

House of Bamboo’ (1955)

Director Samuel Fuller’s unsentimental look at bleak post-war Japan finds the place rife with gangsters. With its pale, snow-dusted landscape and sunless sky, the country is still struggling to get on its feet after a crushing defeat a decade before. When a military supply train is robbed, an American soldier guarding the cargo is killed. Eddie Spanier (Robert Stack), recently released from an American prison, shows up in Tokyo and finds his way into an American gang operating there. Gang leader Sandy Dawson (Robert Ryan), like others of his ilk, is a foreigner exploiting a country decimated by war. All the while Spanier, whose true identity is Sgt. Edward Kenner, secretly investigates a mysterious death.

Joseph Cotten, ‘Journey Into Fear.’

‘Journey Into Fear’ (1943).

Engineer Howard Graham (Joseph Cotten), an American armaments specialist on business in Turkey, is making arrangements to deliver his company’s big guns to the Turkish Navy. But German agents want to kill Graham to delay delivery of the guns that will rearm the Turks. Fast-talking Kopeikin (Everett Sloane), who claims to be an overseas representative of Graham’s employer, seems to have an agenda of his own. So does everyone else Graham meets in this overheated persecution dream he’s caught up in. For an armaments man, Graham doesn’t quite fit the part. He isn’t a weapons enthusiast. In fact, he’s never even fired a gun and admits he’s a bit of a coward. In the next 24 hours he’ll have an opportunity to change all of that. His survival and the Allies’ war effort depend on it.

Burt Lancaster, Peter Lorre, ‘Rope of Sand.’

‘Rope of Sand’ (1949)

Western colonialists in South West Africa are like barbaric prison keepers in “Rope of Sand.” Hunting guide Mike Davis (Burt Lancaster) returns to the African territory to settle a score with Vogel (Paul Henreid), the sadistic security chief at one of the world’s richest diamond fields. On his last stay in Africa, Davis discovered a cache of diamonds and was brutalized by Vogel but refused to give up the location of the precious stones. On his return visit, Davis hopes to regain his revoked hunting guide license, and he intends to tell the politically powerful mine owner Martingale (Claude Rains) where the missing rocks are hidden. But after another run-in with Vogel, he decides to steal the diamonds instead. The plan is to trespass into the diamond mining area at night to retrieve the stones and then escape to Portuguese Angola — a risky endeavor stacked with long odds against him.

Rita Hayworth, ‘Gilda.’

‘Gilda’ (1946)

Argentina, a refuge for exiled World War II war criminals, is the setting for this tale about unrequited love. The center of the action is a gambling casino — they’re practically a requirement for all exotic international locations. American gambler Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) arrives in Buenos Aires and makes enemies of the locals by cheating at craps and cards. Casino owner Ballin Mundson (George Macready) hires Johnny to route out sharpies playing at his gambling joint. All’s well until Johnny meets Mundson’s new American bride, Gilda (Rita Hayworth). Seems the two of them were once an item but things ended badly. Tension between Johnny and Gilda grows white hot. Mundson tasks Johnny with watching over Gilda because she’s been galavanting around town with a number of gents, which makes Johnny’s blood boil. Meanwhile, Mundson has had a less than squeaky clean business relationship with a couple of German mobsters and things are coming apart. A dramatic twist changes the situation for the three. After that, who knows who will hold a winning hand?

Robert Mitchum, ‘The Yakuza.’

‘The Yakuza’ (1974)

The Japan of the 1970s bears little resemblance to the country’s state in “House of Bamboo.” But woven into the fabric of society is a powerful organized crime syndicate, the yakuza. Into the belly of the beast steps retired detective Harry Kilmer (Robert Mitchum), at the behest of his former Marine buddy George Tanner (Brian Keith). A yakuza whom Tanner has been doing business with has kidnapped Tanner’s daughter, Louise (Lee Chirillo), to apply pressure in a deal involving the sale of guns. Kilmer is tasked with rescuing the daughter and bringing her home. The former detective is feeling his age, but accepts his friend’s request out of a sense of loyalty. Although he’s familiar with Japan’s customs and traditions, Kilmer has little idea of the tangled motives, obligations and retributions he will encounter there. He should have thought twice before embarking on this journey.

In case you missed it, see Part I of this two part series, about American criminals who set up shop in foreign lands where law enforcement is lax.