Fixed Bayonets! (1951)
The viewer is dropped into the action immediately: a vehicle is blown up with sound and fury. Then we’re moved to a dire strategy scene where it’s announced that this division of the U.S. Army is to withdraw in the presence of the Red Chinese onslaught. A platoon is ordered to cover the retreat. This seems like a measure that will involve sacrificing these brave men in order to save the greater number. Will they survive the enemy and the harsh winter conditions?
Samuel Fuller’s second film about the Korean War is set during the winter of 1950-1951, a time of U.N. reverses following the entry of communist China into the war. Morale was low as many of the soldiers were unprepared, and the environment was dangerous due to the freezing temperatures of the season. However, many of the soldiers had to deal with inner turmoil as fierce as those conditions were.
The film focuses primarily on Cpl. Denno (Richard Baseheart) and his relations with his superiors, Lt. Gibbs (Craig Hill), Sgt. Lonergan (Michael O’Shea), and Sgt. Rock (Gene Evans), as well as with the enlisted men under him. The issue is that Denno cannot pull the trigger on a man, and he is hesitant to take on leadership. More pressure builds on him as the platoon loses man after man as the enemy probes forward. Will he step up?
Baseheart plays the part of Denno competently. The viewer sees him as a reluctant but decent man. He’s not a coward; he takes the initiative on a number of actions before the film’s close. However, he has his reasons for his reluctance, and it involves his general humble nature, making the audience sympathize with him. Gene Evans as Sgt. Rock, however, steals the spotlight. He’s the rugged soldier, and a veteran from the WW II army. Though he is taciturn in comparison with the rest of the platoon, when he speaks, the other men listen. There’s a heartfelt scene between him and Denno, when the other men are asleep, where he discusses the reasons why men like him decide to stay in the military. Sgt. Lonergan is also portrayed as one of the stabilizing forces of the platoon, and he gets one of the most harrowing scenes that ends in tragedy.
As a war film of the 1950s, it’s probably unavoidable that the rest of cast is rounded out by stock characters. This doesn’t mean that they are absent of personality, but we do run into stereotypes typical of the genre. There’s the soldier not sure of his ability in the beginning, the less-than-careful “fat” soldier, the antagonist, the know-it-all, and the immigrant with a tenuous grasp of the English language. All suit their roles, and I believe that only the know-it-all Whitey would truly test the patience of the modern viewer. With the way he is portrayed, I have doubts that actual soldiers would’ve tolerated him as much as his platoon does. However, Fuller must’ve seen his likes during his time in the army, and thus decided to have a similar type in his film.
The directing is standard Fuller. The violence is direct and unglamorized. The filming took place on set and off-set in L.A., so that limits the realism of the Korean geography and climate. However, the black-and-white filming helps hide some of the seams. Also, since Fuller’s focus is on the emotions of the men, the viewer is less drawn to geographic shortcomings. In fact, the panning shots on the soldiers’ faces does more to covey the mood and atmosphere of the scenes than does any explanation of the situation by the characters. The music by Roy Webb is not too varied and doesn’t stand out in this genre, but suits it as a war film.
Fixed Bayonets! is a solid film of the genre. It also helps that there’s a limited selection of Korean War movies. In recent times, with “recent” being used loosely, the only such films to make a public impact is MASH, a comedy with the subtext of the Vietnam War, and Inchon, a bomb more notorious for its connections with the Unification Church. Just like the war itself, the subject for Hollywood seems about as forgotten. However, for the historical context, as well as for a look into one of Fuller’s lesser known works, Fixed Bayonets! is worth a view.