How sad is this?

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This is an interesting movie to watch on themes of responsibility and its inevitability. The person who wants it the least is the person who ultimately gets it and, by virtue partly of his reluctance, turns out to be the best suited for the job at hand. And in this film that job is to be the leader of a rear guard action to dissuade the North Koreans from closing in on a withdrawing regiment. The chain goes from the regimental colonel, who we see as the film opens, a "one of the guys" type of guy with a wad of chewing tobacco, clustered with some other men in a tent, and then to a young lieutenant who's company is chosen to lead the rear guard action, and the GI's in the company played by some familiar faces, and is whittled down to a young corporal who would never want the responsibility but exceeds his own limitations and ultimately wins his own self respect.

To those baby boomers who love their black and white war movies, this was a fine film to see. This large cast of great character actors is exactly what director Fueller wanted in all his movies showing the complications of wartime matters. The writing is natural and so is the acting. There are even some humorous moments in this film between several army characters coming from various parts of the US. The grittiness and confusion of Korea and the cold snow scenes translates through to the viewer. I began to feel the cold dilemma that this film exposes through it's plot. It was fun to see the fine actor Richard Baseheart in a very early role and see you his acting 'chops' are stretched. I didn't know that James Dean was in an uncredited role in this film. I will try to see the film again to catch his role. This film would have made a fine TV show. Also those people who enjoyed TV's "Combat" series will find this movie very satisfying. Fueller war film's themes are very complex due to his first hand war experiences in WW1.

This film is about a small group of soldiers who are given the unenviable task of slowing down the oncoming Korean/Chinese army in order to allow the rest of the army to bid a hasty retreat. It is assumed that few, if any, of these brave men will survive and it's all a matter of digging in and waiting for the inevitable.Writer/Director Sam Fuller was the first to make a Korean War film when he made STEEL HELMET. This film was made with a minuscule budget, yet was a terrific war film due to his excellent touch--along with acting of wonderful roguish actors, such as Gene Evans. Well, only months after creating this film, Fuller is back with FIXED BAYONETS! and in many, many ways the film is highly reminiscent of the earlier film. Both featured a small group of brave American soldiers who have become separated from the rest of the army. As a result, they are forced to make a brave stand against the odds. And, like STEEL HELMET, you see little bits and pieces about each man--often just before they are killed. Of the two films, I definitely preferred STEEL HELMET because it managed to do so much with the tiniest budget and because it seemed more original. FIXED BAYONETS! was almost like a retooling of the original format.FIXED BAYONETS! had a larger budget and cast than the previous film, though it still was a very economically made film--mostly due the use of character actors instead of big-name stars. Once again, the exceptional Evans was on hand to play, what else, a battle-hardened and wise non commissioned officer. Richard Basehart, a wonderful actor, played co-lead with Evans and that was a good thing, as he was as capable as any actor in Hollywood but was still relatively unknown (i.e., cheap). Look closely, and you might spot James Dean in a small role and there are many other exceptional actors that give the film lots of color and gritty realism. Because of all these factors, FIXED BAYONETS! is still a very good film and Fuller is really in his element with these war films--probably because he lived the life himself during WWII. No major surprises--just a realistic, simple and effective war film.

I have only recently seen some of Fuller's films after hearing about him for years. I have been surprised and pleased by each one. "Fixed Bayonets!" Is a great example of how Fuller made the Hollywood system of the time work for him simply because he got films done on time and on budget, (I think). What would have been either a "GungHo" movie or a trite rehash of "Red Badge of Courage" becomes an involving and action packed story of a man becoming a soldier and leader, something Fuller had first hand experience of in WWII. If you have heard the expression "dogface" applied to a soldier and wondered what it meant this picture will provide your answer. Fuller uses the closeup in just the right amount and just the right time here, and the closeups put the finishing touch on each of the characters, all of whom are distinct and varied. Instead of seeing soldiers similar to others films, these men come across somebody you might know as a regular guy.Anyone interested in putting stories on the screen should see Sam Fuller's work.