The Steel Helmet (1951)

A ragtag group of American stragglers battles against superior Communist troops in an abandoned Buddhist temple during the Korean War.

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writer:

Samuel Fuller

Stars:

Gene Evans, Robert Hutton, Steve Brodie

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gene Evans	...	Sgt. Zack
Robert Hutton	...	Pvt. Bronte
Steve Brodie	...	Lt. Driscoll
James Edwards	...	Cpl. Thompson
Richard Loo	...	Sgt. Tanaka
Sid Melton	...	Joe
Richard Monahan	...	Pvt. Baldy
William Chun	...	Short Round
Harold Fong	...	The Red
Neyle Morrow	...	First GI
Lynn Stalmaster	...	Second Lieutenant

Storyline

During the Korean War, strong but worn and cantankerous Sergeant Zack is aided by a young, orphaned Korean boy. Together they encounter and join a small group of American soldiers. The group stumbles upon a Buddhist temple where they decide to hold up, believing it to be empty...

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Plot Keywords:

buddhist temple | korean war | korea | u.s. army | cigar smoking | 

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Taglines:

Hits Hard at Your Heart!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Korean

Release Date:

2 February 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

38ste breedtegraad

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$103,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$2,000,000, 31 December 1951

Company Credits

Production Co:

Deputy Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The FBI investigated Fuller and Evans at one point during the HUAC period.

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Goofs

When Sgt. Zack opens the new box of cigars the dead soldier had been carrying, the cigar he removes is only half length with a charred end.

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Quotes

Sergeant Zack: Dead man's nothin' but a corpse. No one cares what he is now.

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Crazy Credits

and introducing Gene Evans as Zack

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Connections

Referenced in Raging Bull (1980)

User Reviews

The quintessential Fuller

Tough, gritty war story of a ragtag American patrol in Korea that finds itself trapped in a Buddhist temple by a much larger Chinese force. Sam Fuller made this for cheapjack Lippert Pictures for little more than $100,000--the Chinese "tank" that attacks them was actually constructed out of plywood--but the low budget doesn't detract from it at all. From the opening sequence where Gene Evans' tough sergeant finds himself the only survivor of a POW massacre by Chinese troops, to the climactic battle in the Buddhist temple, the film is chock full of Fuller's bizarre little touches and great storytelling. Evans is first-rate, and there's a terrific performance by the great Richard Loo--the stereotypical oily Japanese villain (although he was actually Korean) in countless Hollywood World War II movies--as a laconic, war-weary Japanese-American soldier, the only veteran that Evans has in the patchwork patrol he puts together that he knows he can count on. Don't miss this one.