IMDb RATING
6.9/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
The story of a platoon during the Korean War. One by one Corporal Denno's superiors are killed until it comes to the point where he must try to take command responsibility.The story of a platoon during the Korean War. One by one Corporal Denno's superiors are killed until it comes to the point where he must try to take command responsibility.The story of a platoon during the Korean War. One by one Corporal Denno's superiors are killed until it comes to the point where he must try to take command responsibility.
Howard Banks
- Doggie
- (uncredited)
Paul Burke
- Doggie
- (uncredited)
George Conrad
- Zablocki
- (uncredited)
Glen Corbett
- Lieutenant
- (uncredited)
James Dean
- Doggie
- (uncredited)
John Doucette
- Colonel - 18th Infantry
- (uncredited)
John Drexel
- John
- (uncredited)
Patrick Fitzgibbon
- Paddy
- (uncredited)
Robert Knapp
- Chuck
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis movie was originally going to star Rory Calhoun, Jeffrey Hunter, Gary Merrill and Robert Wagner, according to a May 1951 edition of "The Hollywood Reporter".
- GoofsA lieutenant orders a soldier who is planting land mines to dig them in deep. Doing this would make them useless; mines need to be planted as close to the surface as possible in order for their detonators to be activated by either a vehicle or a soldier's weight (depending on the type of mine).
- Quotes
Cpl. Denno: Some men are afraid of high places. Some are afraid of water. And some are afraid of being responsible for the death of a lot of other guys.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Typewriter, the Rifle & the Movie Camera (1996)
- SoundtracksIndiana
(uncredited)
Music by James F. Hanley
Lyrics by Ballard MacDonald
Sung by a chorus when the troops are first pulling out
Played occasionally in the score
Featured review
A tight, straight-to-the-point war movie without fluff or melodrama
Fixed Bayonets completes director Samuel Fuller's one-two of 1951 movies about the Korean War, the other being the equally (maybe even slightly better) gritty and gripping The Steel Helmet. For those unfamiliar with Fuller's style, let's just say it is as far removed as possible from what Hollywood passes for war movies the past 20 years. No sentimentality and schmaltz here, just a straight-forward and fine-tuned soldier movie, from the boys, for the boys.
Fuller, a war veteran himself, takes a no-frills, realistic approach. With a tight script that weaves themes of courage and confronting one's fears into superb suspense and action scenes that have stood the test of time admirably, Fixed Bayonets does exactly what it says on the cover. The miniature work is decent enough and the studio backlot that passes for the Korean mountains completes the illusion without distractions. It's still a low-budget b-movie but it's holding well at the seams. The acting is all-around solid with Gene Evans once again stealing the show as the gruffy, no-nonsense Sgt. Rock.
Having worked as a journalist for New York newspapers in his younger years, Fuller understands the importance of story above all. Sure, he's not exactly the epitome of subtle - the inner monologues for example should have been avoided altogether. But I'm willing to ignore that because his movies have a sense of urgency and conviction that is hard to find: he's a man with a story to tell, he grabs you by the shoulder and says "this is how it happened, now watch this". And "this" is not about the politics or dramatization of war but war itself, men killing other men in some snowy hills in the middle of nowhere.
Fuller, a war veteran himself, takes a no-frills, realistic approach. With a tight script that weaves themes of courage and confronting one's fears into superb suspense and action scenes that have stood the test of time admirably, Fixed Bayonets does exactly what it says on the cover. The miniature work is decent enough and the studio backlot that passes for the Korean mountains completes the illusion without distractions. It's still a low-budget b-movie but it's holding well at the seams. The acting is all-around solid with Gene Evans once again stealing the show as the gruffy, no-nonsense Sgt. Rock.
Having worked as a journalist for New York newspapers in his younger years, Fuller understands the importance of story above all. Sure, he's not exactly the epitome of subtle - the inner monologues for example should have been avoided altogether. But I'm willing to ignore that because his movies have a sense of urgency and conviction that is hard to find: he's a man with a story to tell, he grabs you by the shoulder and says "this is how it happened, now watch this". And "this" is not about the politics or dramatization of war but war itself, men killing other men in some snowy hills in the middle of nowhere.
helpful•231
- chaos-rampant
- Aug 28, 2008
- How long is Fixed Bayonets!?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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