While there are films made about the Korean war in the 1950's, their numbers are small compared to the second world war. This film deals not only with the small troop stranded in snowy mountains but the knowledge that the enemy is possibly just yards away. With sergeant Sidney Poitier in charge under the orders of lieutenant Alan Ladd, the troop deals with their feelings about being given orders by a black man. Poitier takes no guff, shows his own anger, yet his motive is pure and simple: keep his men alive, racist or not, and kill the enemy. James Darren and Glenn Corbett are among the other troop members, some of whom look up to Poitier as a great leader. This is at its most tense when it deals with the silence, all the young men knowing that at any moment the enemy could appear out of nowhere. There are some very gruesome moments, one involving a hostage situation and another involving a Korean tank set on fire. The most racist of the troop tries to rape a Korean girl and is stopped by Poitier, leading to both of their hatreds to emerge. Basically, this is about survival and the ugliness of a war mostly forgotten outside advanced history classes, the movie and TV show "M.A.S.H.", and most notably, the political thriller "The Manchurian Candidate". Perhaps with tensions rising between North Korea and much of the world, films like this will start to be remembered and the history books will be picked up a bit more. A hokey propaganda style ending is silly, but the film makes its point.

It must have been pretty awful filming this movie at Glacier National Park. There was a lot of snow and ice as the film makers were trying to re-create the cold winter in the Korean mountains. The movie is about a group of soldiers who are cut off from the rest of their troops during the Korean War. When their commanding officer is hit, he assigns the black sergeant (Sidney Poitier) to be in charge. The other sergeant (Alan Ladd) is mad he wasn't chosen and gives Poitier a lot of crap--as does a racist man in the group who loudly voices his contempt for a black leader. This all could have been interesting, as the Korean War was the first fully integrated war for the US. Plus, there was a lot going on in 1960 regarding racial equality--so the film actually was dealing with 1960s social issues--not just the Korean War.Unfortunately, the film loses its way very quickly--mostly due to dumb casting that shows that the film makers really didn't care about racial issues. Instead, it looked almost as if the film was created by tossing darts at a cork board filled with ideas! First, perhaps "All The Young Men" started a small trend in Hollywood casting stand-up comedians in war films! Here, we have Mort Sahl (a big name during his day but all but forgotten today) and two years later, Bob Newhart was cast in "Hell is for Heroes" and a few years later Don Rickles was cast in "Kelly's Heroes". An odd mini-trend, I know. And, like Newhart's performance, Sahl inexplicably does a stand-up routine during a tiny break in the action! I am sure that happened all the time during the Korean War and WWII!!!! In addition to this dumb casting decision, the film makers also decided to insert James Darren. Now this alone is not bad--he was lovely in "The Guns of Navarone". However, like Sahl, the insane movie producers thought it would be great to have this 1950s/60s teen heart-throb sing a number as well! Think about it...it's in the middle of the snow during the Korean War and Darren's character breaks into song!!!! What were they thinking?! Did they think audiences wanted this is a war flick?! Who was their audience?! As a result, the film just came off as fake--as fake as the eyes in the obviously white extras who were cast as Koreans! The bottom line is that if the film makers didn't care enough to get the film right, why should the audience care enough to bother with the film? Plus, there are just a lot more films that deal with racism without all the superfluous crap tossed in as well! By the way, Alan Ladd appearing in such a film isn't a huge surprise, as his career was in a downward spiral--partly due to changing tastes and partly due to his alcoholism.

This movie benefits from some striking monochrome photography which is particularly well in evidence during its opening scenes ;these show a US patrol proceeding through snow encrusted mountains when it comes under attack from a Communist force .In the resulting battle the platoon leader is killed and hands over authority to the unit's sole black soldier (effectively played by Sidney Poitier)rather than to its most experienced member ,Kincaid (Alan Ladd),to whom the men have always looked up . Thus racial tension and bitterness are added to the already fraught situation as the troop must find a place to make a stand against superior numbers while awaiting reinforcements .There is a difference of opinion over strategy between Ladd and Poitier and other tensions between patrol members who include a Native American ,a wisecracking New Yorker ( Mort Sahl) and a callow youth played by James Darren who also contributes a forgettable song This is no better or worse than many another "patrol"movie with its assemblage of stock figures and seems to have been assembled with an eye to the widest demographic-Old Hollywood in Ladd , a rising newcomer in Poitier and a pop star(Darren ) for the youth market.Even the race angle was not new having featured in Home of The Brave over a decade previouslyGood matinée fare but nothing special either way

A film I had never heard of. Halliwell's film guide says a marine patrol in Korea is commanded by a black man and the racial tension take precedence over fighting the enemy.Simple-minded, parsimoniously budgeted war melodrama.Sidney Poitier is the Sergeant who is given command by the Lieutenant as he is dying.Alan Ladd is the most experienced but has no stripes. The first part of the film is setting the scene and they end up defending a house against faceless enemy who they machine gun and grenade by the score.Alan Ladd gets his leg crushed by a tank and they save him The patrol hold out long enough for them to be saved by their own side.Not much of a film and not one that you would bother seeing again. They spent too little on the story. It was a pity the great Shane ( Alan Ladd) was reduced to this. He rode off in the sunset after saving the town form the baddies just to end up being banal on a snow covered hill side in Korea.Sidney Poitier was rehearsing for his tough put upon black man roles.What do they call you boy ? They call me MISTER Tibbs !