Fixed Bayonets!

It's a wonder this 1951 offering isn't better known given the cult of James Dean, who here makes his big screen debut. While the actor barely registers in an uncredited, blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance, Fixed Bayonets! crackles with the emotional intensity for which he’d go on to be remembered, maverick director Samuel Fuller paving the way for a generation of restless young firebrands.

A former newspaperman, Fuller is best known for his sensationalist explorations of social issues ranging from sex work to mental illness. This Korean War thriller, his second following on from the same year’s The Steel Helmet, is a patriotic tale of American derring-do, albeit one that vividly evokes the horror of military conflict.

The action revolves around a 48-man platoon, left as a rear guard while the remainder of their division withdraws over an exposed bridge. Gene Evans shines as the gnarled Sergeant Rock, courageously staving off enemy attacks on snow-covered, bullet-battered hillsides, but Richard Basehart provides the film’s emotional and didactic centre. His Corporal Denno is an excellent soldier in most respects, save for an aversion to the grave responsibility that comes with issuing orders. While his characters are painted in broad strokes, as was always his tendency, the director succeeds in conveying the inner life and psychological complexities of each. What results is a blistering meditation on duty, service and responsibility.

Extras:

The audio commentary and specially commissioned essay that adorn this release are standard extras in the Masters of Cinema series, but do a fine job of contextualising the main feature, presented here in a crisp digital restoration.

Relesed by Masters of Cinema – buy at eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/fixed-bayonets