ABSTRACT
The opening shot lingers on a “steel” helmet with a bullet hole in it. Slowly, the helmet begins to move and an American soldier-Sergeant Zack (Gene Evans)— his hands tied behind his back, starts to crawl over the bodies of other, dead American soldiers. (Details of the discovery of American soldiers found dead with their hands tied with barbed wire were features of stories about Communist atrocities at the beginning of the war.) The scene just happens; there is no indication of where in Korea this is taking place; no indication of how these men died; or why one of them is still alive. A young Korean-“Short Round” (William Chun)—is seen approaching. Zack plays dead until the Korean, now seen to be a young boy, severs the ropes binding his hands. The boy helps Zack treat a leg wound; Zack addresses him as a “gook.” He replies, “I am not a gook; I’m Korean.”
