Sam Fuller’s intensity and craftsmanship expose the very principles of storytelling – story is as he says it is, “pure emotion.” The plot is as useful as the cops, they’re there to provide boundaries. It’s the uncontrolled love, violence, and emotions that punch up Fuller’s admiration for his gang of petty criminals that capture our minds. This is why hardboiled stories done the right way are so effective – we know the genre backwards and forwards so we follow it along the way we do a road in our own neighborhood and the surprises are in life’s details.

Fuller’s raw style of storytelling and emotions are a revelation to me. I understand why so many of my favorite artists were inspired by his work. From the interviews I’ve seen there is an intensity in Fuller that comes through in his work. He is a craftsman and an artist, but a craftsman first.