I think it’s great that World War I has finally been getting its cinematic due over the last decade or so after long being overshadowed by World War II. However, although the Korean War was more recent (1950–1953) than World War I, it has still been largely ignored by Western filmmakers—with a few exceptions.
One of those exceptions is 1951’s “The Steel Helmet,” produced during the outbreak of the Korean War (it bears the distinction of being the first movie about the Korean War) and directed by Samuel Fuller (“Pickup on South Street,” “White Dog”).
The film begins in a unique fashion: After the opening credits conclude with a steel helmet in the background, the helmet tilts up slightly and we see a pair of beady eyes below its brim. They furtively dart back and forth until their owner, seasoned Sgt. Zack (Gene Evans), emerges from a ditch and begins snaking along the ground, since his hands are bound behind him and one of his legs is injured.
A number of dead soldiers litter the ground around Sgt. Zack—their hands similarly bound behind their backs. The sudden sound of footsteps causes him to go limp and he proceeds to do the best impersonation of a corpse that he can muster.
The barrel of a rifle is soon pointing down at his face, but then we see who is holding it—a young Korean boy (William Chun). As the boy commences to free Sgt. Zack by cutting his cloth restraints with a knife, the soldier identifies the youth as a South Korean, and thus, an ally of the Allies. The boy asks about the gaping hole in the side of Sgt. Zack’s helmet and the latter explains that he got lucky since a bullet entered his helmet, merely scraped his head, and then exited.
As Sgt. Zack begins to limp off, the boy tries to follow him, explaining that, because he saved the soldier’s life, Sgt. Zack is now “in his hands,” according to his Buddhist beliefs. Sgt. Zack is initially dismissive of the boy, but then relents and brings him along, after realizing that the two have something in common: They’ve both been orphaned by the war. Sgt. Zack is the only survivor of his patrol.
After nicknaming the kid “Short Round,” the sergeant’s first order is to “Grab yourself a steel pot, you might need one,” which prompts Short Round to take a helmet from one of the dead soldiers and plunk it on his undersized head.
While walking through some fog-enshrouded woods, the duo’s first encounter is with Cpl. Thompson (James Edwards), an Army medic. Cpl. Thompson reveals how his unit was likewise wiped out, but the North Koreans kept him alive to take care of their wounds until he escaped.
Shortly thereafter, the trio runs into an American patrol led by Lt. Driscoll (Steve Brodie) and his Japanese-American righthand man, Sgt. Tanaka (Richard Loo). After their initial comparing of notes, it quickly becomes apparent that Sgt. Zack doesn’t care for Lt. Driscoll, since, like most OCS (Officer Candidate School) graduates, the latter has very limited field experience, even though he is technically in command.
Despite their differences, Lt. Driscoll asks Sgt. Zack for help in guiding them to a Buddhist temple, where his patrol has been ordered to set up an OP (Observation Post). But the gruff sergeant refuses and limps off with Short Round and Cpl. Thompson.
Sgt. Zack soon has a change of mind after they are all ambushed by a pair of North Korean snipers. Pinned down with no idea of where their enemies are, they are forced to work together to defeat their foes. Sgt. Zack then agrees to help escort the patrol to the temple but tells them that’s the extent of his aid.
The Duress of War
Although this film was made with a relatively low budget, it manages to convey the horrors of war and makes the most out of its 85-minute running time. The sets look authentic and the Buddhist temple is stunning, capped off with a marvelously imposing statue of Buddha in its main prayer chamber.There are many scenes that stand out, such as when a captured North Korean officer attempts to sway both Sgt. Thompson and Sgt. Tanaka by using communist subversion techniques. When the North Korean happens to be isolated with both men nearby, he tries to get a rise out of them by mentioning racism and inequality (as if those are uniquely American things), but the men are steadfast in their identity as American citizens and proud of all of the progress the country has made since it abolished slavery.
It’s also interesting to watch how Sgt. Zack initially browbeats one of the soldiers for being a conscientious objector, but later appreciates the man posthumously. The soldier had interrupted his civilian studies to become a priest because he’d heard the clarion call as an American, and took up arms to defend his country against communism.
“The Steel Helmet” is an excellent movie about the Korean War that features a disparate group of Americans who must work together if they are to survive against truly evil forces. It doesn’t glamorize war but rather shows the gritty, complex situations that sometimes arise under extreme duress.
