On this evidence, Fuller is a strident and uncompromising anti-Communist anti-racist. You heard me. This is a late-50s movie about 'Indochina' - a little ahead of the curve there! - which takes the USA to task for not leaping right in there with their French pals; the enemy has Stalin all over the wall of their lookout posts. So it's more than a little silly, to put it nicely. But given this, the racial issues it confronts are above and beyond the call of duty - the espionage tour our heroes embark on is really an opportunity for dynamite expert Gene Barry to smarten up after abandoning his distinctly Asian-featured kid from his liaison with half-white Lucky Legs (Angie Dickinson). Along the way there are exciting scenes, surprisingly well-modulated performances, and a budget-conscious stylistic trick I've never seen before: shot almost entirely in wide master shot, Fuller constantly pans-and-scans the black-and-white Scope image to approximate camera movement. Here's a guy who's smart enough to know that grainy (not to mention silly) won't matter if the damn thing MOVES.
22 Reviews
probably not one of Fuller's best, but it has some grit and a bit of guts, plus a few notable cast members
Quinoa198428 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Samuel Fuller's China Gate isn't one to rush out to rent, but if you're already a fan of the director's it's a safe bet that most of his work will be at least brawny and entertaining, and even in the midst of heavy melodrama he can pack a bit of punch in the midst of the studio-set conventions. Make no mistake, this is a studio picture through and through, down to the studio locations (how much of it really is a jungle one might wonder, which isn't much), and the mix and match of real war-torn cityscapes ala Rossellini with stock footage of planes dropping supplies for the citizens. The only overall disappointing aspect is the slightly off ratio of powerful action and tough dialog- there's a little too much of the latter, and not as one of Fuller's most spot-on scripts in trying to wring out the unsentimental emotion, which backfires- as it's almost a minor work when compared to the real big guns, no pun intended, with respect to Fuller's war films. China Gate is simple melodrama, but when it does stick simply, and with Fuller's stylistic strengths and flashes of bravado, it works.
One of the pleasantries of the picture is seeing the actors take to the roles, in typical Fullerian mode, as if it was all heart. Angie Dickinson, in one of her first performances, is a hot little number that has just the right, well, 'something' to keep her along with the other male parts, as she plays a hard-bitten mother named 'Lucky Legs' who is the only one who has the right contacts and repore with the Ho Chi-Mon that she can get a small military team through enemy lines. Her strengths are poised against Gene Barry, her once husband (still technically is, thanks to a lovey-dovey scene in the latter part of the movie), who is a bigot and seems to have had all sympathy for most people drained away. He does, however, gain it back by the time the big climax comes, which maybe isn't too far of a stretch considering the many scenes where he and Lucky Legs get a little more intimate (as close as possible during the 'code' anyway). The good news is Fuller cast them very well for their chemistry on screen, as they are totally opposed at first, and then gradually get closer and closer, her beauty with his scruffy face, each hard-bitten by times spent in war and communist locales.
Meanwhile, Fuller's got a wild card with Nat King Cole, who not only wonderfully sings an unusually placed song (right before all the men head out on their mission through the Vietnam jungle) but is an unexpectedly touching actor. He goes through some subtle looks at times when asked too many questions from a fellow German soldier in the group, is cool and dead-pan when having to face Sgt. Brock, and plays it perfectly when he is in possible enemy fire range and steps on a spike in the ground, keeping himself mute with his face totally in horror. There's also a good scene with a man who gets wounded on a rocky ridge, with his last minutes not stepping into platitudes but simply allowing a sort of quietly sad cross-cutting between the others looking down at the poor solider seen in a painful close-up. Although there's a fairly bad scene with a French foreign legion guy (I think foreign legion) who tells a story accompanied by a sound effect of a whistle, and the dialog between the men in the less plot-dense scenes is just average Fuller, it's great to see a part for Lee Van Cleef as the heel with all the bombs and explosives in the cave, and the climax is a good, if not astounding, wallop.
An obscure early dip into what would become the most insane debacle of Westerners fighting the 'other' halfway across the world (as of then), China Gate is usually exciting and tightly executed, and if it doesn't have the same pulp attitude that Fuller has when he's working full throttle, it never-the-less attains a quality that speaks of the BANG of a headline, telling the story all in one bold swoop, however easy to tell.
One of the pleasantries of the picture is seeing the actors take to the roles, in typical Fullerian mode, as if it was all heart. Angie Dickinson, in one of her first performances, is a hot little number that has just the right, well, 'something' to keep her along with the other male parts, as she plays a hard-bitten mother named 'Lucky Legs' who is the only one who has the right contacts and repore with the Ho Chi-Mon that she can get a small military team through enemy lines. Her strengths are poised against Gene Barry, her once husband (still technically is, thanks to a lovey-dovey scene in the latter part of the movie), who is a bigot and seems to have had all sympathy for most people drained away. He does, however, gain it back by the time the big climax comes, which maybe isn't too far of a stretch considering the many scenes where he and Lucky Legs get a little more intimate (as close as possible during the 'code' anyway). The good news is Fuller cast them very well for their chemistry on screen, as they are totally opposed at first, and then gradually get closer and closer, her beauty with his scruffy face, each hard-bitten by times spent in war and communist locales.
Meanwhile, Fuller's got a wild card with Nat King Cole, who not only wonderfully sings an unusually placed song (right before all the men head out on their mission through the Vietnam jungle) but is an unexpectedly touching actor. He goes through some subtle looks at times when asked too many questions from a fellow German soldier in the group, is cool and dead-pan when having to face Sgt. Brock, and plays it perfectly when he is in possible enemy fire range and steps on a spike in the ground, keeping himself mute with his face totally in horror. There's also a good scene with a man who gets wounded on a rocky ridge, with his last minutes not stepping into platitudes but simply allowing a sort of quietly sad cross-cutting between the others looking down at the poor solider seen in a painful close-up. Although there's a fairly bad scene with a French foreign legion guy (I think foreign legion) who tells a story accompanied by a sound effect of a whistle, and the dialog between the men in the less plot-dense scenes is just average Fuller, it's great to see a part for Lee Van Cleef as the heel with all the bombs and explosives in the cave, and the climax is a good, if not astounding, wallop.
An obscure early dip into what would become the most insane debacle of Westerners fighting the 'other' halfway across the world (as of then), China Gate is usually exciting and tightly executed, and if it doesn't have the same pulp attitude that Fuller has when he's working full throttle, it never-the-less attains a quality that speaks of the BANG of a headline, telling the story all in one bold swoop, however easy to tell.
Decent Sam Fuller Effort
gordonl561 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
China Gate 1957
I caught Sam Fuller's 1957 war film CHINA GATE for the first time in a good 20 plus years. The DVD is finally available with its full black-and-white CinemaScope image intact. The old pan and scan VHS was terrible.
While not the first Hollywood film to deal with the war in what was then French Indochina, this one comes across as a precursor to the American involvement in Vietnam.
The leads are played here by Gene Barry and Angie Dickinson, with support by, Nat King Cole, Lee Van Cleef, Gerald Milton, James Hong, Paul Dubov and Marcel Dalio.
The film is set in 1954 and the French are on the losing end of a string of battles with the Viet Minh. Gene Barry is an American Korean War vet who has returned to Vietnam to continue his fight against the Reds. As with most leads in a Fuller film, Barry is a typically conflicted hero. He volunteers to go on a mission for the French Foreign Legion to destroy Soviet-supplied ammunition dumps near the border with Red China.
The expedition is to be guided in country by a Eurasian bar girl known far and wide as Lucky Legs (Angie Dickinson). Dickinson just happens to Barry's estranged wife as well the mother of his young son. The kicker here is that Barry could not handle that the boy looked Chinese, so Barry left to fight in Korea. Barry is still fighting because he hates the Reds, while Dickinson is going because the French government promised to help her get her son to America.
The group slowly works its way north through the thick jungle past various Viet Minh outposts. Dickinson is known to most of the Red officers from her days running a popular bar. She has also brought along a generous supply of booze to ply the guards with. The group has a few close calls along the way losing some of their explosives and a few men.
The group finally reaches the area where the Reds have stockpiled enormous amounts of arms and ammo. They are all stored in a large complex of caves. Of course Miss Dickinson happens to know the Red officer in charge, Lee Van Cleef. Cleef is more than happy to show Dickinson around after a few belts from one of Dickinson's bottles.
During the journey, Barry has finally realized what a turd he was for leaving his wife and son while he went off to fight. He promises to make sure the boy makes it to the States. While Dickinson distracts several of the guards at the entrance of the cave complex, Barry and his men wire up the arms etc with explosives.
Everything is wired and ready to go when the Reds discover the explosives. They cut the wire hooked to the detonator. Dickinson rushes back inside the cave and hooks up the wires again, blowing herself, the caves, and most of the Reds to kingdom come.
Sam Fuller wrote and directed this film. His other work, include the excellent Korean War films, THE STEEL HELMET and FIXED BAYONETS. He also dabbled in film noir with, PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET, HOUSE OF BAMBOO and THE CRIMSOM KIMONO. His most well-known works are probably, THE BIG RED ONE and MERRILL'S MARUDERS.
The film, though mostly studio bound, is quite sharp looking with plenty of nice blacks and greys. The man handling the cinematography is two time Oscar nominated, and one time winner, Joseph Biroc. Biroc worked between 1943 and 1987. He is well known to film noir fans for his work on, THE KILLER THAT STALKED NEW YORK, LOAN SHARK, WITHOUT WARNING, VICE SQUAD, THE GLASS WALL, DOWN THREE DARK STREETS, BENGAZI, THE GARMENT JUNGLE and CRY DANGER. His most well know film is IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.
I caught Sam Fuller's 1957 war film CHINA GATE for the first time in a good 20 plus years. The DVD is finally available with its full black-and-white CinemaScope image intact. The old pan and scan VHS was terrible.
While not the first Hollywood film to deal with the war in what was then French Indochina, this one comes across as a precursor to the American involvement in Vietnam.
The leads are played here by Gene Barry and Angie Dickinson, with support by, Nat King Cole, Lee Van Cleef, Gerald Milton, James Hong, Paul Dubov and Marcel Dalio.
The film is set in 1954 and the French are on the losing end of a string of battles with the Viet Minh. Gene Barry is an American Korean War vet who has returned to Vietnam to continue his fight against the Reds. As with most leads in a Fuller film, Barry is a typically conflicted hero. He volunteers to go on a mission for the French Foreign Legion to destroy Soviet-supplied ammunition dumps near the border with Red China.
The expedition is to be guided in country by a Eurasian bar girl known far and wide as Lucky Legs (Angie Dickinson). Dickinson just happens to Barry's estranged wife as well the mother of his young son. The kicker here is that Barry could not handle that the boy looked Chinese, so Barry left to fight in Korea. Barry is still fighting because he hates the Reds, while Dickinson is going because the French government promised to help her get her son to America.
The group slowly works its way north through the thick jungle past various Viet Minh outposts. Dickinson is known to most of the Red officers from her days running a popular bar. She has also brought along a generous supply of booze to ply the guards with. The group has a few close calls along the way losing some of their explosives and a few men.
The group finally reaches the area where the Reds have stockpiled enormous amounts of arms and ammo. They are all stored in a large complex of caves. Of course Miss Dickinson happens to know the Red officer in charge, Lee Van Cleef. Cleef is more than happy to show Dickinson around after a few belts from one of Dickinson's bottles.
During the journey, Barry has finally realized what a turd he was for leaving his wife and son while he went off to fight. He promises to make sure the boy makes it to the States. While Dickinson distracts several of the guards at the entrance of the cave complex, Barry and his men wire up the arms etc with explosives.
Everything is wired and ready to go when the Reds discover the explosives. They cut the wire hooked to the detonator. Dickinson rushes back inside the cave and hooks up the wires again, blowing herself, the caves, and most of the Reds to kingdom come.
Sam Fuller wrote and directed this film. His other work, include the excellent Korean War films, THE STEEL HELMET and FIXED BAYONETS. He also dabbled in film noir with, PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET, HOUSE OF BAMBOO and THE CRIMSOM KIMONO. His most well-known works are probably, THE BIG RED ONE and MERRILL'S MARUDERS.
The film, though mostly studio bound, is quite sharp looking with plenty of nice blacks and greys. The man handling the cinematography is two time Oscar nominated, and one time winner, Joseph Biroc. Biroc worked between 1943 and 1987. He is well known to film noir fans for his work on, THE KILLER THAT STALKED NEW YORK, LOAN SHARK, WITHOUT WARNING, VICE SQUAD, THE GLASS WALL, DOWN THREE DARK STREETS, BENGAZI, THE GARMENT JUNGLE and CRY DANGER. His most well know film is IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.
Sam Fuller's film about communist lands misses the mark
rcj536516 February 2010
Sam Fuller's worst war film is worth watching-or at least scanning-for several reasons. The most obvious is the bizarre casting. Then there is the unpersuasive attempt to recreate Vietnam on a studio backlot,which would be duplicated with not much more success years later by Stanley Kubrick in Full Metal Jacket(1987). Finally,both the screw loose plotting and the rabid Red-baiting have become unintentionally comic with the passage of time. This was in fact Sam Fuller's first-ever film for a major Hollywood studio(Twentieth Century-Fox)and his first to be presented in full widescreen Cinemascope.
A voice-over introduction sets a hyperbolic tone: "With the end of the Korean War,France was left alone to hold the hottest front in the world and became the barrier between Communism and the rape of Asia." Moments later,we learn that because the dirty Reds have put the Vietnamese town of Sun Toy under siege,a little boy's(Warren Hsieh)pet puppy is about to be eaten! Presumably because 1957,American audiences did not know much about the country or the war,Fuller spends most of the first act spinning out a fanciful interpretation of the situation,blaming many of the country's problems on the Chinese Communists and their massive underground ammunition bunker at China Gate. The French Legionaires decide it to blow it up,and call in explosives expert Sgt. Brock(Gene Barry). The only person who can lead them from Sun Toy to China Gate is Lucky Legs(Angie Dickinson in one of her first major roles),who is allegedly half-Chinese. She's also Brock's ex,and if that weren't enough,the kid with the puppy is their son! That's doubly hard to believe because the stars generate all the sexual chemistry of two wet paper towels. Not to mention in 1957,white actors or actresses were playing roles of minorities,whether Latino or Asian or Arabian were stereotypical then.
After that's been established,the already pokey action stops cold for Goldie(Nat "King" Cole) to not only demonstrate his acting abilities but also sings the theme song. Then off they go,with a half dozen or so more Legionaires and a couple of boxes of highly explosive detonators. At every opportunity.one or more of these guys bears his tortured soul,and as they get closer to the Chicorns,it becomes apparent that our girl Lucky has been a sort of one-woman welcoming committee whose mission is to boost morale in every way that she can. All the guys know her because she makes regular visits to the Chinese to deliver cognac and sex,even though her main squeeze is the commander of China Gate,Maj. Cham(Lee Van Cleef),yet another half-Chinese who is in line for a promotion to Moscow.
With only a few exceptions,the combat scenes are as phony as the rest. They were filmed on cheap-looking sets with little originality or energy. Nothing on screen comes as close to Fuller's better work in "The Steel Helmet",and "The Big Red One". Still,"China Gate" is instructive. It's a perfect example of Hollywood's attempt to turn every post-war conflict into another World War II. When the film does try to draw any distinctions,it still reduces the action to good guys versus bad guys. If a few Americans will just go over there and blow up stuff and shoot some guys,those benighted foreigners will see the error of their ways and everything will straighten itself out. That's a bit of oversimplification,but given the loopy politics of China Gate,it's not too far off the mark. It misses it.
A voice-over introduction sets a hyperbolic tone: "With the end of the Korean War,France was left alone to hold the hottest front in the world and became the barrier between Communism and the rape of Asia." Moments later,we learn that because the dirty Reds have put the Vietnamese town of Sun Toy under siege,a little boy's(Warren Hsieh)pet puppy is about to be eaten! Presumably because 1957,American audiences did not know much about the country or the war,Fuller spends most of the first act spinning out a fanciful interpretation of the situation,blaming many of the country's problems on the Chinese Communists and their massive underground ammunition bunker at China Gate. The French Legionaires decide it to blow it up,and call in explosives expert Sgt. Brock(Gene Barry). The only person who can lead them from Sun Toy to China Gate is Lucky Legs(Angie Dickinson in one of her first major roles),who is allegedly half-Chinese. She's also Brock's ex,and if that weren't enough,the kid with the puppy is their son! That's doubly hard to believe because the stars generate all the sexual chemistry of two wet paper towels. Not to mention in 1957,white actors or actresses were playing roles of minorities,whether Latino or Asian or Arabian were stereotypical then.
After that's been established,the already pokey action stops cold for Goldie(Nat "King" Cole) to not only demonstrate his acting abilities but also sings the theme song. Then off they go,with a half dozen or so more Legionaires and a couple of boxes of highly explosive detonators. At every opportunity.one or more of these guys bears his tortured soul,and as they get closer to the Chicorns,it becomes apparent that our girl Lucky has been a sort of one-woman welcoming committee whose mission is to boost morale in every way that she can. All the guys know her because she makes regular visits to the Chinese to deliver cognac and sex,even though her main squeeze is the commander of China Gate,Maj. Cham(Lee Van Cleef),yet another half-Chinese who is in line for a promotion to Moscow.
With only a few exceptions,the combat scenes are as phony as the rest. They were filmed on cheap-looking sets with little originality or energy. Nothing on screen comes as close to Fuller's better work in "The Steel Helmet",and "The Big Red One". Still,"China Gate" is instructive. It's a perfect example of Hollywood's attempt to turn every post-war conflict into another World War II. When the film does try to draw any distinctions,it still reduces the action to good guys versus bad guys. If a few Americans will just go over there and blow up stuff and shoot some guys,those benighted foreigners will see the error of their ways and everything will straighten itself out. That's a bit of oversimplification,but given the loopy politics of China Gate,it's not too far off the mark. It misses it.
.
barretto-margarita9 February 2023
Does anybody know the name of the child who plays Angie Dickinson´s son? He is not credited ......
I think the film is not bad at all.... It is the kind of films that Hollywood used to release in those days. Angie Dickinson plays very well her role. The scene she confronts Lee van Cleef without moving a muscle is a very good one.
Nevertheless there arte indeed some scenes very unreal. For example when Nat King Cole steps in that trap (more details shoud be spoiler) there is no way a person could do what he did. But I only wanted to know who the little cute boy is, or was. If anybody knows I´d appretiate......
Nevertheless there arte indeed some scenes very unreal. For example when Nat King Cole steps in that trap (more details shoud be spoiler) there is no way a person could do what he did. But I only wanted to know who the little cute boy is, or was. If anybody knows I´d appretiate......
Reasonably exciting!
JohnHowardReid11 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
A Globe Enterprises Production released by Twentieth Century-Fox. Copyright 1957 by Globe Enterprises Productions. New York opening at the Paramount: 22 May 1957. U.S. release: May 1957. U.K. release: 7 July 1957. Australian release: 1 August 1957. 97 minutes. (Censored to 95 minutes in Australia, cut to 90 minutes in the U.K.)
COMMENT: Inserts of newsreel footage tend to lift the believable elements in the plot of this Samuel Fuller production set in Indo- China in 1954, but the plot and its enactment does start to wear somewhat thin as the footage wends its way towards its bitter-sweet climax. Written and directed by Samuel Fuller, this flick lacks the punch necessary to qualify it as exceptional material, but should hold some interest for most viewers. Aside from its unique locale, its most diverting ingredient is Nat "King" Cole, who plays a top role and who also sings the title song.
Set as it is in war-ridden Indo-China, the theme is down-beat most of the way. Locations are either war-ravaged villages or jungle outposts through which a Foreign Legion party, guided by a Eurasian saloon owner, makes its way to the China Gate, where it hopes to destroy the main enemy arsenal.
Deserted by her husband, Barry, when their baby was born, Miss Dickinson, has become famous throughout Indo-China as "Lucky Legs", the saloon proprietor, and is trusted and popular with both the Reds and the French. In fact, the Foreign Legion commander asks her to guide a party of volunteers through Red lines to the China Gates, where the main bomb and shell dump has been kept carefully hidden in a labyrinth of tunnels that cannot be detected from the air.
Miss Dickinson refuses when she learns Barry is among the volunteers, but consents when Marsac promises passage to America for the boy in return for her services. Needless to say, the trek from Son Toy through the lines is dangerous and tedious.
Thanks to the involvement offered by the wide CinemaScope screen, this otherwise rather routine war picture, is made reasonably exciting. The players try hard against an often sticky script. The principals are further hampered by their somewhat colorless on- screen personalities. Nonetheless, Angie Dickinson manages to overcome most of the obstacles thrown her way by writer/director Samuel Fuller (whose once really enormous cult following, seems to have diminished somewhat in recent years).
COMMENT: Inserts of newsreel footage tend to lift the believable elements in the plot of this Samuel Fuller production set in Indo- China in 1954, but the plot and its enactment does start to wear somewhat thin as the footage wends its way towards its bitter-sweet climax. Written and directed by Samuel Fuller, this flick lacks the punch necessary to qualify it as exceptional material, but should hold some interest for most viewers. Aside from its unique locale, its most diverting ingredient is Nat "King" Cole, who plays a top role and who also sings the title song.
Set as it is in war-ridden Indo-China, the theme is down-beat most of the way. Locations are either war-ravaged villages or jungle outposts through which a Foreign Legion party, guided by a Eurasian saloon owner, makes its way to the China Gate, where it hopes to destroy the main enemy arsenal.
Deserted by her husband, Barry, when their baby was born, Miss Dickinson, has become famous throughout Indo-China as "Lucky Legs", the saloon proprietor, and is trusted and popular with both the Reds and the French. In fact, the Foreign Legion commander asks her to guide a party of volunteers through Red lines to the China Gates, where the main bomb and shell dump has been kept carefully hidden in a labyrinth of tunnels that cannot be detected from the air.
Miss Dickinson refuses when she learns Barry is among the volunteers, but consents when Marsac promises passage to America for the boy in return for her services. Needless to say, the trek from Son Toy through the lines is dangerous and tedious.
Thanks to the involvement offered by the wide CinemaScope screen, this otherwise rather routine war picture, is made reasonably exciting. The players try hard against an often sticky script. The principals are further hampered by their somewhat colorless on- screen personalities. Nonetheless, Angie Dickinson manages to overcome most of the obstacles thrown her way by writer/director Samuel Fuller (whose once really enormous cult following, seems to have diminished somewhat in recent years).
Very unusual for me to watch a war movie
christopher-underwood25 November 2015
Very unusual for me to watch a war movie, but anything directed by Sam Fuller deserves consideration and I was intrigued with the casting that included, Angie Dickinson, Nat King Cole and Lee Van Clef. As it tuned out this was not as bad as it might have been, helped very much by the performances, Fuller achieves from his cast. Set in Vietnam, then Indochina, it features the last days of the French rule, when the Americans were seemingly the good guys dropping food parcels to the indigenous population. Nat King Cole, sings the title track twice and puts in a really convincing performance as one of the French rag bag group who trek through the jungle to carry out their wondrous mission. Mostly filmed on back lots, Fuller has interspersed stock footage to give a reasonable approximation of the location. Angie Dickinson is a real trouper and plays this very wide with much non PC banter with the Chinese, who she seems to keep happy with promise of brandy and sex. Lee Van Clef is a real surprise here (I thought he had always had that weathered look!) and helps to make the last quarter a bit more fun.
Ludicrous war drama set in early days of Vietnam War
Reiher8 September 1998
Everything that's wrong about Sam Fuller pictures pops up here, with little of what's right being present. The script is full of silly lines, and the two leads are several miles out of their depth. Nat King Cole is the best thing in the picture, giving a sensitive and believable performance in a supporting role. Not bad enough to be entertaining on that basis, just fairly stupid.
wildly underrated Sam Fuller war film
chrisdfilm13 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is wildly underrated and, contrary to the usual, often numbskull IMDb opinions here, one of Sam Fuller's most satisfying pictures from the 1950s. Angie Dickinson is very convincing as Eurasian Lucky Legs, an independent woman cast adrift and on her own trying to survive in French-controlled Viet-Nam. She is constantly judged and used by former lover, racist mercenary Gene Barry (who is also the father of her bastard son)for his own ends. Nat King Cole is fine as Barry's right-hand man, Goldie. One of the great things about the film is showing the irrationality of racism, a prime example being that racist Barry has nothing but warm feelings (if memory serves) for longtime comrade, Cole. Full of great insights (no matter how broadly painted) as well as super hardboiled bits (watch for Cole stepping on a spike at night in the jungle but unable to cry out due to proximity of enemy soldiers -- as well as what happens to self-sacrificing Angie at the end). Show me another war film as gutsy and as uncompromising from this time period (outside of Don Siegel's HELL IS FOR HEROES or Anthony Mann's MEN IN WAR). Plus - how can one not warm to a movie where Lee Van Cleef (!) plays the Viet Cong commander in charge of the ammo dump that Barry and cohorts must destroy?
The Visionary Fuller exposes two neuralgic issues, the racism and the menace of Communism, he proved be right in both themes!!!
elo-equipamentos7 January 2021
Overtly the master Samuel Fuller spotlight and approaching the mix-up of the ethnicities on some pictures for instance as "The Crimson Kimono", "House of Bamboo" and now "China Gate" all them prospecting this neuralgic issue, here exposing the American Sgt. Brock (Gene Barry) that was involved and married a half-breed China girl Lucy (Angie Dickinson) when she gets pregnant, the Sgt. Brock supposed that his son should be more Caucasian than Chinese, well the boy actually was born with a true Chinese kind, daunted he refuses the boy and soon disappears, Lucy comes into depression, on erratic life on prostitution and diving deeply on alcoholism, after seven years in absence the bleak Sgt. Brock was designed to a hard assignment at Indochina when he meets again the doll Lucy legs which she got the nickname for your beauty legs always allures the key persons thought her exotic beauty, also he meets his son, the French Army calls Lucy for a fair deal, if she guide the bomb squad at China Gate where the commies are storing a huge secret arsenal of bombs and guns underneath of the mountain, his son should be expatriate to America as American citizen, due his father really is, using several stock footage and almost shot at sound studio this movie has their enchants, touching in the racism, also enforces the virtue of democracy against the reds system, which the men weren't master of their own destiny, as far I remember Angie Dickinson was pretty than never, young and gorgeous, the famous and charismatic black singer Nat King Cole is another precious and colorful character, without forget the famous squad "The Big Red One" was quote for first time in this picture, that will be the smashing success and seminal masterpiece of Fuller on the future!!
Thanks for reading.
Resume:
First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.25
Thanks for reading.
Resume:
First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.25
Talk about bizarre casting!
planktonrules26 July 2022
"China Gate" is one of Sam Fuller's more obscure films. While this writer/producer/director is seen as a sort of cinema god by many (particularly the French New Wave), this film proves he's no god! Now I am not saying it's a completely terrible film...but casting Angie Dickenson as a half-Chinese woman who wounds like an American debutante and Nat King Cole as a mercenary is pretty weird! And, apart from that, it shows little of the genius you see in other Fuller films. But, as he is a god of sorts to many, I'm not surprised it has several very positive reviews.
The film is set in the final year of the French-Indochinese War, 1954. This war led to France losing control of its Vietnam colony and the country being split into two...the Communist controlled North and the non-Communist South.
A group of multinational mercenaries are recruited to go on a mission to find a hidden ammo dump near the Chinese border. Why these folks in particular are sent isn't really clear...nor why they must bring along a half-Chinese woman known as 'Lucky Legs' (Dickenson). Among the men in the group is her ex-husband (Gene Barry), a man who is apparently dumber than a tomato. Why did they break up? Because their son looked Asian! Think about it...the man hates Asians so he marries a half-Chinese woman and then gets mad when SHE apparently produced an Asian looking kid!! While it is of course racist, it also makes no sense at all....and it's so dopey that it really doesn't deliver a message about racism and respect....just laughs! This is especially true when you hear the dialog between the two...it's unintentionally hilarious.
So is the story apart from this character any good? Not particularly. The characters seem like caricatures and late in the film, a lot of grainy stock footage is used...and it really looks like some of it's from a WWII film (you can see some are wearing Japanese uniforms!). Overall, a huge disappointment and possibly Fuller's worst film.
The film is set in the final year of the French-Indochinese War, 1954. This war led to France losing control of its Vietnam colony and the country being split into two...the Communist controlled North and the non-Communist South.
A group of multinational mercenaries are recruited to go on a mission to find a hidden ammo dump near the Chinese border. Why these folks in particular are sent isn't really clear...nor why they must bring along a half-Chinese woman known as 'Lucky Legs' (Dickenson). Among the men in the group is her ex-husband (Gene Barry), a man who is apparently dumber than a tomato. Why did they break up? Because their son looked Asian! Think about it...the man hates Asians so he marries a half-Chinese woman and then gets mad when SHE apparently produced an Asian looking kid!! While it is of course racist, it also makes no sense at all....and it's so dopey that it really doesn't deliver a message about racism and respect....just laughs! This is especially true when you hear the dialog between the two...it's unintentionally hilarious.
So is the story apart from this character any good? Not particularly. The characters seem like caricatures and late in the film, a lot of grainy stock footage is used...and it really looks like some of it's from a WWII film (you can see some are wearing Japanese uniforms!). Overall, a huge disappointment and possibly Fuller's worst film.
Memories
cpolster26 February 2022
I remember watching on TV as a teenager, little did I know that a few years later some of the scenes and some of the dangers pictured, one especially, when Goldie (Nate King Cole) stepped on a punji stick, that one day it would it be a real worry.
To this day, I will not watch any Nam war movies, even though China Gate was about the Indochina War with the French I would never watch again, as I said a few scenes would be too much and bring back memories. The reason I posted this was I just watched a short about Nat King Cole and it reminded me of that movie he was in. I had to read what others had posted about China Gate to see if others felt the same way. USMC, Nam, 68-69.
To this day, I will not watch any Nam war movies, even though China Gate was about the Indochina War with the French I would never watch again, as I said a few scenes would be too much and bring back memories. The reason I posted this was I just watched a short about Nat King Cole and it reminded me of that movie he was in. I had to read what others had posted about China Gate to see if others felt the same way. USMC, Nam, 68-69.
Nam!
jotix1002 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
The action is set in Viet Nam. The French had been waging an impossible war against the communist Chinese and Vietnamese in a conflict that ended in defeat for France. This is before the American involvement in one of the most hated wars in recent history.
Samuel Fuller, who started out as a reporter, saw firsthand what war was really like early in his life during WWII. After that, he became a writer for the movies and a director who, to this day, has inspired many of the current crop of creators with his sharp take on the world he lived. "China Gate", alas, does not add anything to his illustrious career, although no serious fan of Mr. Fuller will pass the opportunity to take a look at this 1957 film.
The story centers around a conflict between a Eurasian born woman, Lucky Legs, the owner of a saloon that had married Johnny Brock, an American mercenary who is helping the French in their fight against their enemy as the story begins. Brock was a bigot, to put it mildly, and a man that obviously was not playing with a full deck. He abandoned Lucky after their son is born. He rejected the infant based on his Chinese looks.
Lucky is recruited to guide a small team of men to the China Gate, where the communists have amassed war material that will help them fight the war. Lucky, being well known to her countrymen, had no trouble taking the patrol to their destination, leaving at each post bottles of her prized stash of French cognac, much appreciated by the fighting enemy.
Unfortunately, the story does not ring true; it is sadly dated as it does not make much sense. The mere idea of outsmarting the guerrillas, by a small group of men just does not seem possible, but then again, this is the basis of many pictures where common sense does not count into the story, what matters is the action, the dead, the fabulous explosions and the heroism of a few.
Gene Barry playing Brock shows no chemistry whatsoever with his co-star, Angie Dickinson, at the height of her youth and beauty. Nat King Cole, the inimitable singer makes a dramatic appearance and he steals the movie from more experienced actors. Lee Van Cleef shows up as Cham, the man who was also in love with Lucky.
For Samuel Fuller fans only!
Samuel Fuller, who started out as a reporter, saw firsthand what war was really like early in his life during WWII. After that, he became a writer for the movies and a director who, to this day, has inspired many of the current crop of creators with his sharp take on the world he lived. "China Gate", alas, does not add anything to his illustrious career, although no serious fan of Mr. Fuller will pass the opportunity to take a look at this 1957 film.
The story centers around a conflict between a Eurasian born woman, Lucky Legs, the owner of a saloon that had married Johnny Brock, an American mercenary who is helping the French in their fight against their enemy as the story begins. Brock was a bigot, to put it mildly, and a man that obviously was not playing with a full deck. He abandoned Lucky after their son is born. He rejected the infant based on his Chinese looks.
Lucky is recruited to guide a small team of men to the China Gate, where the communists have amassed war material that will help them fight the war. Lucky, being well known to her countrymen, had no trouble taking the patrol to their destination, leaving at each post bottles of her prized stash of French cognac, much appreciated by the fighting enemy.
Unfortunately, the story does not ring true; it is sadly dated as it does not make much sense. The mere idea of outsmarting the guerrillas, by a small group of men just does not seem possible, but then again, this is the basis of many pictures where common sense does not count into the story, what matters is the action, the dead, the fabulous explosions and the heroism of a few.
Gene Barry playing Brock shows no chemistry whatsoever with his co-star, Angie Dickinson, at the height of her youth and beauty. Nat King Cole, the inimitable singer makes a dramatic appearance and he steals the movie from more experienced actors. Lee Van Cleef shows up as Cham, the man who was also in love with Lucky.
For Samuel Fuller fans only!
Angie Dickinson on a mission
bkoganbing28 February 2018
Some fine performances from stars Angie Dickinson, Gene Barry, and Nat King Cole are really wasted in this Sam Fuller film that really hasn't worn that well over
the years. History has made China Gate very obsolete, a real Cold War relic.
It's 1954 and the French Foreign Legion symbol of French Colonialism has met with humiliating defeat at Dienbienphu. Ho Chi Minh and his Viet Minh have taken over the north with the 17th parallel dividing the country. But they still threaten South Vietnam.
A picked group of Legionaires among them Barry and Cole get a mission to blow up a secret ammo dump with enough to start things really going in the South. Angie Dickinson who is a character out of Terry And The Pirates , a mixed racial entertainer who has some history with another mixed racial Viet Minh commander Lee Van Cleef gets to lead the troops. But Angie has more history with Barry, she was married to him and bore him a son Warren Hsieh. Because of racism rather brutally expressed by Barry he rejected her and the kid.
Still a misssion is a mission for these Legionaires soon to go to Algeria and try to keep the French in control. Let's say things get interesting for all concerned.
Racism is dealt with squarely, colonialism is not in China Gate. Nat King Cole gives a strong performance as most definitely not a Stepin Fetchit character. But it got a bit much when he says he joined the Foreign Legion because he didn't get to kill enough Commies in Korea.
Has this one not worn well.
It's 1954 and the French Foreign Legion symbol of French Colonialism has met with humiliating defeat at Dienbienphu. Ho Chi Minh and his Viet Minh have taken over the north with the 17th parallel dividing the country. But they still threaten South Vietnam.
A picked group of Legionaires among them Barry and Cole get a mission to blow up a secret ammo dump with enough to start things really going in the South. Angie Dickinson who is a character out of Terry And The Pirates , a mixed racial entertainer who has some history with another mixed racial Viet Minh commander Lee Van Cleef gets to lead the troops. But Angie has more history with Barry, she was married to him and bore him a son Warren Hsieh. Because of racism rather brutally expressed by Barry he rejected her and the kid.
Still a misssion is a mission for these Legionaires soon to go to Algeria and try to keep the French in control. Let's say things get interesting for all concerned.
Racism is dealt with squarely, colonialism is not in China Gate. Nat King Cole gives a strong performance as most definitely not a Stepin Fetchit character. But it got a bit much when he says he joined the Foreign Legion because he didn't get to kill enough Commies in Korea.
Has this one not worn well.
Best Unknown Nat "King" Cole song ("China Gate")
knipper11 October 1998
I was 17 and had just fallen hard in love with Gayle. That night in 1957 when I saw China Gate I was not with Gayle but another. The haunting title track "China Gate" somehow was burned into my memory. I remember little of the movie, but Nat's melancholy rendition was so haunting that when I replay it over in my mind some of that lost-love feeling still tears at my heart 42 years later.
War viewed from the grunts
norbert-plan-618-7158132 April 2022
The film contains beautiful war scenery with buildings and parts of streets completely destroyed. The other part of the sets are jungle sets built in a studio where the film will take place at night.
The interest of the film is to show the war in Indochina led by the French. It is about a French army commando with an American who will try to destroy an arms depot to avoid that the French parts of Indochina are bombed by the communists.
This pretext allows Samuel Fuller to build an effective war film, but also to talk about subjects such as racism and psychological problems related to war.
Samuel Fuller does not show heroes, because none of the characters are heroes, except perhaps Angie Dickinson who plays an Indochinese woman who has had a child with an American. She helps the commando to get through the jungle to the communist village that houses the weapons.
One of the curiosities of the film is Lee Van Cleef in a very short role who plays the communist leader of the Indochinese. Curiosity, because it is a character with dialogues (his filmography has often used him in roles with few words).
Otherwise, the Samuel Fuller system works well: a mix of studio shots, real set shots, documentary stock shots, edited together; or else, the dialogues are ampouled at times, but they are effective. And a rather effective direction of actor who makes that each of the characters has its function. The whole thing works quite well and remains captivating until the end. Obviously one of the messages of the film is also to show the horror, the stupidity and the absurdity of war.
That is to say that we are not in the subtlety, the messages of Samuel Fuller are well inserted in a very insistent way so that the spectator captures them well.
All in all, the film remains very interesting, because there are very few films about French soldiers during the Indochina war!
The interest of the film is to show the war in Indochina led by the French. It is about a French army commando with an American who will try to destroy an arms depot to avoid that the French parts of Indochina are bombed by the communists.
This pretext allows Samuel Fuller to build an effective war film, but also to talk about subjects such as racism and psychological problems related to war.
Samuel Fuller does not show heroes, because none of the characters are heroes, except perhaps Angie Dickinson who plays an Indochinese woman who has had a child with an American. She helps the commando to get through the jungle to the communist village that houses the weapons.
One of the curiosities of the film is Lee Van Cleef in a very short role who plays the communist leader of the Indochinese. Curiosity, because it is a character with dialogues (his filmography has often used him in roles with few words).
Otherwise, the Samuel Fuller system works well: a mix of studio shots, real set shots, documentary stock shots, edited together; or else, the dialogues are ampouled at times, but they are effective. And a rather effective direction of actor who makes that each of the characters has its function. The whole thing works quite well and remains captivating until the end. Obviously one of the messages of the film is also to show the horror, the stupidity and the absurdity of war.
That is to say that we are not in the subtlety, the messages of Samuel Fuller are well inserted in a very insistent way so that the spectator captures them well.
All in all, the film remains very interesting, because there are very few films about French soldiers during the Indochina war!
Men on a mission Fuller-style
pete3624 March 2018
Set near the end of the French rule of IndoChina (later Vietnam) a mixed group of French Legionnaires, led by an US demolition expert, must blow up an important Chinese ammunition depot. They also get assistance from a "madam"r of mixed blood.
Some of director Sam Fuller's movies tend to be a bit over the top and this one sure belongs in that category. It's a crazy story with crazy characters : there is the US demolition man (Gene Barry) , a competent but unsympathetic bully and racist, the brothel owner (Angie Dickinson) who is the former wife of the US guy (they have a son) and there is the French ragtag legionnaire team (including singer Nat King Cole).
As with most of these "menonamission" movies some of the team get bumped of during the journey but they get there ofcourse in the end, no less thanks to the fact that Angie Dickinson seems to have slept with half of the Chinese army stationed in Vietnam.
It does move along at fairly brisk pace and Fuller knows how to work with the Cinemascope format but the story, and especially the ending is completely ludicrous and unbelievable (you 'll have to find out for yourselves).
Somehow Fuller felt this wasn't exactly a winner so he followed this up (in the same year) with "Run of the Arrow" a though and excellent western starring Rod Steiger, which has become a real classic.
Some of director Sam Fuller's movies tend to be a bit over the top and this one sure belongs in that category. It's a crazy story with crazy characters : there is the US demolition man (Gene Barry) , a competent but unsympathetic bully and racist, the brothel owner (Angie Dickinson) who is the former wife of the US guy (they have a son) and there is the French ragtag legionnaire team (including singer Nat King Cole).
As with most of these "menonamission" movies some of the team get bumped of during the journey but they get there ofcourse in the end, no less thanks to the fact that Angie Dickinson seems to have slept with half of the Chinese army stationed in Vietnam.
It does move along at fairly brisk pace and Fuller knows how to work with the Cinemascope format but the story, and especially the ending is completely ludicrous and unbelievable (you 'll have to find out for yourselves).
Somehow Fuller felt this wasn't exactly a winner so he followed this up (in the same year) with "Run of the Arrow" a though and excellent western starring Rod Steiger, which has become a real classic.
A Sam Fuller film. Interesting but?
dukeb0y1 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Well first the good. Filmed and glorious black and white, and on YouTube where I watch it it was pretty darn crystal clear. This is about the French and Indochina.
Nat King Cole's singing in a few scenes adds to the movie which really added to the movie. That part was actually perfect.
The sets, we're pretty good and the rear-projection on some of the scenes were pretty good. Most of the battles were filmed on sets and it was not bad. Some of the low budget showed but it was still pretty good.
Angie Dickinson can act very nicely. She's got two boyfriends in this movie on each side. Both love her. But she's fighting to get her son to America.
It had an absolutely surprise ending that I didn't see coming. Not at all. So it's worth a watch just for the scenery. And is another mentioned, this takes place and filmed in the 1950s and Ho Chi Minh is mentioned.
Well that's it for this short review. Not going to rate it because it had so much good and bad in it. The directing is so so but it is interesting.
Nat King Cole's singing in a few scenes adds to the movie which really added to the movie. That part was actually perfect.
The sets, we're pretty good and the rear-projection on some of the scenes were pretty good. Most of the battles were filmed on sets and it was not bad. Some of the low budget showed but it was still pretty good.
Angie Dickinson can act very nicely. She's got two boyfriends in this movie on each side. Both love her. But she's fighting to get her son to America.
It had an absolutely surprise ending that I didn't see coming. Not at all. So it's worth a watch just for the scenery. And is another mentioned, this takes place and filmed in the 1950s and Ho Chi Minh is mentioned.
Well that's it for this short review. Not going to rate it because it had so much good and bad in it. The directing is so so but it is interesting.
Woof-woof, it's a dog but it may be the first U.S. movie that mentioned Ho Chi Minh.
Steve-3189 January 2001
Nat King Cole acts and sings in this one and that just might be the only item of interest in a very bad movie with one distinction: it has Americans fighting in Vietnam in 1957.
We're talking about a few mercenaries (like Gene Barry) who just can't get enough military action and just love killing Commies. Ah, the good old days...
Angie Dickinson is your typical half-Chinese, half-American loving mother/double agent/saboteur who drinks heavily but never shows it. Her cute little Chinese son has been spurned by father Barry, whose racist tendencies keep erupting throughout the movie.
It's violent, stiff and dumb. There's something about movies that use "gate" in the title--"Heaven's Gate," for example.
We're talking about a few mercenaries (like Gene Barry) who just can't get enough military action and just love killing Commies. Ah, the good old days...
Angie Dickinson is your typical half-Chinese, half-American loving mother/double agent/saboteur who drinks heavily but never shows it. Her cute little Chinese son has been spurned by father Barry, whose racist tendencies keep erupting throughout the movie.
It's violent, stiff and dumb. There's something about movies that use "gate" in the title--"Heaven's Gate," for example.
A family film that will be easily mistaken for a war film
JuguAbraham13 June 2019
Angie Dickinson is reputed to have said "I was often a lead actress, but never the lead." Even an idiot will see her to be the lead actor and character in China Gate. She has a better role than Gene Barry by a mile.
I can't claim to have seen a lot of Samuel Fuller directed films--but this is the best I have seen of his to date. The shots with the child at the beginning and the end are very well made. The film may not easily be recognized as a family film but it is essentially one. Is it the only role where Dickinson is on screen as a brunette? Probably so.
The power of Fuller's writing is evident is these lines "Everbody doesn't carry their lives in the face" and "You are tough enough to handle explosives but not handle life."
This is the best rounded performance of two actors--Lee Van Cleef and singer Nat "King" Cole, who actually sings the title song.
I can't claim to have seen a lot of Samuel Fuller directed films--but this is the best I have seen of his to date. The shots with the child at the beginning and the end are very well made. The film may not easily be recognized as a family film but it is essentially one. Is it the only role where Dickinson is on screen as a brunette? Probably so.
The power of Fuller's writing is evident is these lines "Everbody doesn't carry their lives in the face" and "You are tough enough to handle explosives but not handle life."
This is the best rounded performance of two actors--Lee Van Cleef and singer Nat "King" Cole, who actually sings the title song.
China Mediocre
angelsunchained20 January 2019
I wanted to like this film, but it was only fair, if not below average. Angie Dickenson couldn't act at this point and overplayed her role. Gene Barry wasn't much better. Lee Van Cleef as a Chinese Colonel! Beyond bizarre. The saving grace was Nat King Cole. A decent performance and a great ending song by Nat gives this film a five. Good to view at 3am when you can't sleep.
View Only to see Nat King Cole
arthur_tafero1 August 2018
This is about the most boring war film I've ever seen. Samuel Fuller was really bad; how he got a reputation for being a good filmmaker is beyond me. Ed Wood was better than this. This is the worst role Angie Dickinson ever had, and my mother is tougher than the Gene Barry character. Nat King Cole was believable. The story is ridiculous, just like the French who spent their money and lives trying to keep their colonial possession. I was rooting for everyone to get killed except Cole. Only the first five minutes of the film (background propaganda on Vietnam) was historically interesting (despite being distorted). Strictly for Americans who thought we belonged in Vietnam. However, it did put me to sleep on the couch for a nice nap.
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