The Steel Helmet

Solid war pic by fuller. I liked Evans as Sgt. Zack.

The script often resembles the work of an amateur playwright, the editing during the combat is dreadful and some of the actors are so wooden they're growing leaves. Still, Fuller's tribute to the US Infantry generally sustains entertainment in spite of its many shortcomings, thanks in part to Gene Evans' grizzled lead performance holding it all together.

After viewing, I said in a 1950's accent, "Boy! That was a picture!" Fuller's politics go into unflinching (and creative) detail as he shows how two soldiers are impacted by the Jim Crow era & Japanese internment. Add to that the hero's personal cynicism and the writing has an almost documentary edge to it. It was made quickly and on the cheap, but it's still energetic and intimate--especially that action scene ending. And you can tell Tarantino was influenced by this. Highly recommended.

It's a good film about a terrible war. The lead, Gene Evans, is fantastic, the other performances range from average to forgettable. Obviously made in Hollywood.

It's got a disdain for America that any good war film should have, but still kinda ends up being a shoot commies flick in the end. Some extremely on-the-nose bits (I wonder what they're gonna say about the Japanese soldier and the black soldier). Actually kinda reminds me of Da 5 Bloods with how it subverts but never really leaves the genre.

War propaganda on a low budget.

The picture it paints of war as a swaggering, macho hell on Earth will be familiar to anyone who has seen "The Big Red One". While that's a much better film, this definitely feels like a dry run at that picture. Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz must be fans of this film since the young Korean boy is named "Short Round" in this film.

Star Rating: ★★★★1/2

proper, good acting, but didn't entertain me.

Sam Fuller's masterwork presents an ultragritty look at combat, as experienced by one of the offbeat auteur's greatest characters, Evans's grizzled, battle-weary Sergeant Zack. By my lights, the best modern war movie ever made.

A damned fine war film, and proof that all the money in the world is no substitute for the ability to tell a good story. Gene Evans gives a thoroughly convincing performance as Sergeant Zack, a bull-headed, battle-hardened infantryman whose relationship with the orphaned "Short Round" is surprisingly moving. The film does have its flaws. In spite of a paltry 80 minute run-time, the story briefly stalls out in the middle third. But this is still a great war drama, and one I'd heartily recommend.

A lowbudget war movie? Yup, and all the better for it. More brash art from Fuller.

Interesting movie, some weird and amateurish parts, some very low budget, gross propaganda, but also surprisingly subversive and dark war picture. Great acting, and also not so great; a mixed bag, but worth watching.

Off to another war. Samuel Fuller brings the first movie about the Korean war. A low budget war drama that looks better than most big budget war movies from the period. Gene Evans was a interesting choice for a lead, but he manages to carry the film on his shoulders. But more than anything it's the visual atmosphere and constant tension that makes The Steel Helmet (1951) as compelling as it was.

If you die, I'll kill you!

The first film set during the Korean War, and a pretty damn good one. Fuller has a good sense of the physicality of war, and Gene Evans is very authentic as the grizzled veteran soldier. There's an attempt to confront American attitudes about race and to be honest it feels a little short changed (possibly constrained by the running time), but it appears to be sincere. The war film cliche of a colourful group of characters is present but the cast does its best to make it work.

A cute romantic comedy about a funny little Korean boy who falls in love with a gruff sergeant. Along the way, they meet up with the sergeant's ragtag team of friends (which includes a bald guy, a black guy and a mute). Loads of hilarious hijinks ensue as they roam the Korean countryside....I don't know what's wrong with me.

A very mixed bag. The best parts are very good, but when the action slows, it gets cheap and maudlin.

Dominated by the towering figure of a temple Buddha, this gritty, realistic film--probably the best atmospheric evocation of the Korean War to date--was shot in ten days in LA's Griffith Park. It features a fine performance by the underrated Gene Evans as the war-weary, cigar-chomping Sergeant Zack, and a haunting appearance by comedian Sid Melton as a silent soldier who finally speaks to protest his own death.

What possesses war hero Fuller to make a war film so unrealistic? Never mind that every soldier here is a stereotype: There's baldy, mute guy, black guy, Jap, conscientious objector, frisky Korean kid, and asshole officer. People here have "after the war" conversations mid battle! A guy hops over auto gunfire! Performances reek, including the most hilariously awful bit of acting you'll ever see from a guy getting repeatedly stabbed in the back. The text sucks, and shots at humor are all unfunny.

Soooooo damn good.

Solid melodrama, with surprisingly contemporary view of war itself.

Fuller delivers a gritty, socially conscious war film. Short, but sweet. Gene Evans is great as the cynical, sarcastic, and stubborn Sergeant. Highlights are a sniper episode in a foggy jungle and a game of cat-and-mouse throughout the Buddhist temple.

Gritty and absorbing--good grunt's-eye view of the Korean conflict. Evans a standout as Zack (especially in the first half). And the kid was cool. Things did get a bit sappy toward the end though.

Gene Evans = awesome