Fixed Bayonets!

"Bayonets All-Steel…Hearts ALL-AMERICAN…Their story ALL GLORY!"

1951 1h 32m EN

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6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 44

WarDramaAction

Synopsis

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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.

“Bayonets All-Steel…Hearts ALL-AMERICAN…Their story ALL GLORY!”

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Cast

Richard Basehart
Cpl. Denno
Gene Evans
Sgt. Rock
Michael O'Shea
Sgt. Lonergan
Richard Hylton
Medic John Wheeler
Craig Hill
Lt. Gibbs
Skip Homeier
Whitey
Howard Banks
Doggie (uncredited)
Paul Burke
Doggie (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Samuel Fuller
Writers: Samuel Fuller
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

75 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Samuel Fuller, shot by Lucien Ballard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Roy Webb. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nick DeMaggio shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Richard Basehart and Gene Evans and Michael O'Shea carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Bayonets All-Steel…Hearts ALL-AMERICAN…Their story ALL GLORY!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0043540 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 44 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Samuel Fuller directs. Lucien Ballard behind the camera. Roy Webb scores. Nick DeMaggio cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

175 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Samuel Fuller, shot by Lucien Ballard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Roy Webb. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Nick DeMaggio shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Richard Basehart and Gene Evans and Michael O'Shea carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Bayonets All-Steel…Hearts ALL-AMERICAN…Their story ALL GLORY!".
7IMDB entry: tt0043540 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 44 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lucien Ballard
Original score: Roy Webb
Editing: Nick DeMaggio
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Fixed Bayonets! (1951)

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Samuel Fuller

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What people are saying

John Chard2017-01-13
★ 9/10
There's nothing dirtier than a rearguard action! Fixed bayonets! is directed by Sam Fuller and Fuller writes the screenplay which is based around a novel by John Brophy. It stars Richard Basehart, Gene Evans, Michael O'Shea, Richard Hylton, Craig Hill and Skip Homeier. Music is by Roy Webb and cinematography by Lucien Ballard. The Korean War, and a platoon of GIs are tasked with diverting the enemy to allow the command units time to regroup and prepare for a counter attack. "Somebody's got to get left behind, get their bayonets wet. It's tough picking out an outfit, but it's got to be picked" Samuel Fuller was a real life infantryman combat veteran of WWII, so any time he chose to direct a war film it was time to sit up and take notice, Fixed bayonets! finds him in prime form. All his great traits are here, how things are so understated yet so potent, how his characters are stripped to a very real human form, there's no fuss, filler or pointless flab here. Every line of dialogue and the various combat scenarios positively beg our utmost attention, so as to get some sort of feel as to just what it must have been like in war. Plot revolves around 48 men holding a rearguard action so as to give 15,000 others a break. The odds aren't really in their favour, because not only do they have to face the oncoming enemy and all their numbers, but they have to battle the terrain, for they are up in the snowy mountains, the harsh coldness a fitting accompaniment to the psychological pangs at work in the platoon. The main narrative thread is based around Basehart's Cpl. Denno, who has trouble shooting an enemy soldier, which is not great since there's a very real chance he may soon have to take command. Ouch! The pressure of impending command... Combat action scenes are thrilling, artillery warfare in the snow constructed with skillful thought. While this wouldn't be a Fuller film without some edge of seat drama, with the stand out here a breath holding sequence of events in a minefield. Tech guys come up trumps, the sound mix is bang on (a haunting cacophony of Asian bugles really rattles the head), Ballard's black and white photography is crisp and captures the pending peril vibe suitably, and Webb's musical compositions are unobtrusive and rightly keeping focus on the human drama. A lesson in being simple yet so potently effective, Fuller on blob. 8/10
CinemaSerf2026-03-09
★ 7/10
“Denno” (Richard Basehart) is no coward as he and his platoon navigate the perils of the Korean War, but he has no desire to rise above his current rank and take command. With plenty of stripes above him as they embark on their latest mission, that ought not to be a problem but when they are asked to provide a rearguard action defending a narrow pass from an exposed overlooking cave high amidst the snowy hills, he and his four dozen colleagues face quite a challenge against an overwhelmingly superior advancing force. Now, perhaps Samuel Fuller had just a little bit of the propagandist at the back of his mind as he framed this, for ultimate jeopardy there simply isn’t. What there are, though, are a series of very personable characterisations from Basehart, Gene Evans as his boss “Sgt. Rock” and Craig Hill as his - the lieutenant “Gibbs”. As the chain of command gradually shrinks, and a worrying inevitability starts to loom large for “Denno”, there is a palpable raising of the tension not just for him, but for those remaining in the squadron who have long been aware of his reluctance to take command. It’s that representation of honest anxiety that tops this off quite poignantly, offering us a glimpse of the terror not so much of the Chinese but of taking responsibility for the lives of others that he considered he was unqualified to take. The production is not the best, indeed very little of this looks remotely authentic but perhaps the obvious studio environment helped to give this an extra degree of claustrophobia as the dwindling group of soldiers huddle in their cave hoping to buy time for their fifteen thousand mates regrouping nearby. Evans was always reliable with these gritty GI type roles and with the usual mix of characters to populate the rest of the group, Basehart holds it together well enough, and despite it’s obvious visual limitation it works quite effectively.