Amazon.com Customer Reviews
 Rated 2 out of 5
Reporter trys to break case in mental hospital.
Johnny Barrett (Peter Breck) is a reporter for the Daily Globe. Mr. Fong ( Philip Ahn, best known for Kung-Fu tv series in the 1970’’s) tutors him on the scheme they have planned to crack a murder case. Johnny’’s girlfriend Kathy (Constance Towers) reluctantly is in this too, but she is only in it because she wants to save money to have a normal life. So she is singing and wears less clothing in a dive. She continues the scheme by turning Johnny into the cops. She says her "brother" won’’t leave her alone. The police call it attempted incest and she signs a formal complaint that her "brother" is mentally unsound. Johnny acts out a brilliant nervous breakdown in front of the doctors, therefore he is committed. But kathy is worried that all these tests Johnny has to go through will make him sick. While in the mental hospital he meets Staurt (James Best), a farmboy who is just as crazy as the others. People dream in color. There are three color sequences in this black & white film. The color film looks like National Geographic. Very disturbing film. Great acting! But hard to watch sometimes. Rated 3 out of 5
Terrific movie, but not a very good DVD
Samuel Fuller’’s low-budget masterpiece _Shock Corridor_ is indisputably one of the greatest American films of the 1960s. Although some elements of the plot feel dated today, Fuller’’s expose of American racism and militarism has force, passion, and true cinematic technique.The DVD of the film features an excellent video transfer with a so-so mono audio mix. Because this is an early effort from Criterion, the only extra you’’ll find here is a rather shabby theatrical trailer. Nowadays this would be disgraceful, but in 1998 (when the disc was first produced), it was about par for the course. Unless you really, really like this film, consider a rental, not a purchase. Perhaps Criterion could re-issue _Shock Corridor_ with more extensive special features, as they’’ve already done for Truffaut’’s _The 400 Blows_ and Cocteau’’s _Beauty and the Beast_.  Rated 4 out of 5
A DISTURBING MOVIE...
A reporter seeking a Pulitzer Prize cons his way into being committed to an asylum to get the story on an unsolved murder case. Peter Breck (from TV’’s "The Big Valley") is good as the reporter. He blends in with the other male inmates trying to ferret out the facts but discovers insanity is nothing to toy with. Constance Towers (also in Fullers’’ "The Naked Kiss") is a stripper and his loyal girlfriend who notices Breck’’s mental deterioration on her visits. She tries but can’’t get him out. He has more or less sealed his own fate. The portrayals of the other inmates are powerful and there are some real doozies locked in with Breck. But I found the movie to be so vivid that it was almost unpleasant to watch. The scenes in the asylum are disturbing. The scenes outside the asylum are depressing and even Towers’’ strip routine at the nite club where she works is downbeat. Breck’’s plight is overwhelmingly doomed. This is without a doubt a challenging film but I can only recommend it with a warning. If you are emotionally affected by films be careful with this one. It will linger with you after you’’ve seen it. Still it’’s a powerful and unusual film worthy of a cult following and a collector’’s item.
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