Rating summary
| Movie |  | 4.0 |
| Video | | 4.0 |
| Audio |  | 3.0 |
| Extras |  | 2.5 |
| Overall |  | 3.5 |
Fixed Bayonets! Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 3, 2016
A master of the war picture, director Samuel Fuller goes insular for 1951’s “Fixed Bayonets,” which oversees pressure building in the battle zone during the outset of the Korean War. However, while violence plays a key role in the movie, Fuller’s screenplay attempts to dig into the psychology of an American soldier facing a true test of courage in a foreign land. “Fixed Bayonets” is surprisingly nuanced work, dissecting issues of combat and duty while still maintaining the expected suspense of enemy encounters.
It’s bad enough to experience the horrors of war firsthand, but the men at the heart of “Fixed Bayonets” also have to deal with a winter chill, finding the cold playing a supporting part in the picture, complicating camaraderie as tensions rise due to discomfort. Fuller doesn’t need much more than a cast and a playground of snow and ice, and indeed, “Fixed Bayonets” is captured like a filmed play at times, remaining close to the characters as they struggle with the demands of duty and the power of instinct, which flares up once trouble begins and casualties thin out military numbers.
Fixed Bayonets! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 aspect ratio) is billed as a "Brand New 4K Restoration," and the feature certainly looks refreshed at times, picking up on the meaty faces of the soldiers and the particulars of the environment. Detail is acceptable, bringing a proper amount of texture, and grain is filmic. Delineation isn't troublesome. Of primary concern is the final shot of the movie, watching soldiers march toward the camera, which is plagued with posturization, sustaining for the feature's final minutes.
Fixed Bayonets! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
The audio event for "Fixed Bayonets" is peculiar. The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is very quiet, requiring a substantial boost in volume to help balance out levels, but even that doesn't secure stability, finding dialogue exchanges presented softly, while war elements and scoring are cranked up. It makes for a problematic sit at times, demanding a degree of dial riding to manage. Intelligibility isn't entirely softened, but performances aren't always pronounced. Music handles with acceptable instrumentation, and sound effects hold their snap. Hiss is present, but not overpowering.
Fixed Bayonets! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
- Commentary features film historian Michael Schlesinger, with Christa Lang Fuller and Samantha Fuller.
- And a Theatrical Trailer (2:36, SD) is included.
Fixed Bayonets! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Action interrupts rising tensions, though war sequences are smaller in scale, lacking emphasis to concentrate on the mental battle at hand. "Fixed Bayonets" doesn't have the rah-rah drive featured in likeminded pictures, and while it lacks traditional hostilities, it does offer a depiction of war from an intimate perspective, capturing the subtleties of fear and survival.
