All the Young Men (1960) - full transcript
During the Korean War, the lieutenant in charge of a Marine rifle platoon is killed in battle. Before he dies, he places the platoon's sergeant, who's black, in charge. The sergeant figures on having trouble with two men in his platoon: a private who has much more combat experience than he does, and a racist Southerner who doesn't like blacks in the first place and has no intention of taking orders from one.
'Night. October 11th, 1950.'
'Time - 0500.'
'Combined United Nations forces
committed to repel
the aggressive action of North Korea
and the Chinese Communists
strike at Wonsan, Korea.'
'An advance marine unit
of that successful invasion force,
2nd Platoon, Baker Company.'
'Their vital objective,
find and hold a Korean farmhouse
at the strategic pass
north of Majang-ni.'
'Lifeline for the advance of
the 3rd Battalion -
1,000 United States Marines.'
Look out!
(GROANS)
Testing.
Come in!
Testing, one, two.
Have you tried it?
- Yeah, nothing.
They're looking down our throats.
We sure can't hole up here.
Come on, let's get over the ridge.
Come on!
Ease him down.
See the corpsmen?
- No.
What happened to Casey?
- It's my fault.
How bad?
- Very bad.
Are we all that's left?
- I don't know.
You can bet these hills
are loaded with them.
I've never seen anything like it.
- They're really operating the snow.
We gotta get him to a hospital.
- Not before dark.
How do we get out of this one?
- That is the $64 question.
We haven't even got a sergeant left.
It's Jordan!
Come on Danny, the chief's
waiting for us over the ridge.
Hold it. Wait.
Where's your lieutenant?
- I think maybe he got hit.
I'd better take a look.
- Are you crazy?
He's got the maps.
We don't stand a chance without them.
You're not going anywhere.
We stay here together.
This is it, Bracken, you may be here
long enough to get your mail.
Do you think
this is all that's left?
What are you making out,
a strength report? We got smeared.
You know it.
How long are we gonna stay here?
Ha! I don't know, this is the drop
zone for the Christmas packages.
I'd sure like to know
how many are out there.
More than you saw. This is a great
spot for the Marlboro Man.
- Look! Towler has got the lieutenant.
Hand me that blanket.
Is he alive?
- He's alive.
But he's hit bad.
Where'd he get it?
- Where didn't he get it?
Sergeant.
Towler, I am talking to you.
- Sir?
I'm turning the command over to you.
I want you to get that farmhouse.
No matter how you do it.
Latch on to it and hold it.
If you don't,
they'll cut the battalion in half.
Do you hear me, Towler?
- I can't take over this outfit.
Kincaid's the one.
He's much more experienced.
- I'm not asking you to take over.
I'm telling you. You're not wearing
those stripes for nothing.
I'm turning these men over to you.
The men and the job.
Get it done. Get it done right.
- I'll try, sir. I'll try.
It's so cold.
So damn cold.
- I know.
11 years in this outfit and it's
the tenth lieutenant I've lost.
Privilege of rank.
Can you fix the radio?
- Sorry, but I can't.
Alright, kid.
What's the plan now?
- Ask Towler, he's in command.
Hell he is. Why, you know more about
getting us out of here than anyone.
Bracken, take care of this body.
- You do it, black boy.
Go dig.
- I haven't got a shovel. I lost it.
You got one now.
Where I come from, Towler,
the black man does the digging.
We are not where you come from.
That's a great beginning.
I need your help, Kincaid.
I'm counting on it.
You ought to be calling the shots.
Lieutenant called the shot.
You're in command.
They're your men now.
But remember they're my men too,
we've been through hell together.
And if you start cracking up
I'll be right on top of you.
Check?
- Check.
On your feet, we are moving out.
This path across the ravine is the
shortest way. We'd save half a day.
Save half a day
and maybe get blown to hell.
There's one quick way to find out.
Bracken? Dean? Build me a mine sled,
heavy enough to explode deep ones.
I want it the same weight
as a man's body. And hurry.
You're falling behind.
- I'll close it up. I've been looking
for them behind every tree.
I know.
We are not hard to follow.
They'll track us in and keep coming.
It's just a question of time.
Time...time!
We'll have to take the long way.
And watch your step.
This ridge is covered with ice,
one slip and you've had it.
(SCREAMS)
Stay where you are.
I know this boy. He'll listen to me.
I'll go down and talk him in.
He'll crack up.
Try to talk him up from here.
He's too far away. I'll follow
the sled tracks down to the mine.
Try and talk him in from there.
- OK. But don't take any chances. We
can't afford to lose any more men.
Everybody stay where they are.
Stay in those tracks.
Easy boy. Easy. Listen to me.
Do what I say and do it right.
There.
Easy. Wrap it around you.
Attaboy.
And start walking.
- I can't, ?caid.
I can't...
- Sure you can, boy. Start walking.
Come on. Come on, boy.
Take it slow.
One step at a time.
That's a boy. Come on.
Come on. Walk.
That's it. Hurry up.
Look straight ahead. Move!
I can't.
- Danny!
Danny, stay there, boy.
Stay there.
Make it, ?caid.
Come on, Danny boy.
We'll go back the same way I came.
We'll get blown to hell!
Get to the first level.
I can reach you with a rope.
(GROANS)
How do you feel, boy?
- OK.
Take the head. Keep moving.
We'll catch up with you.
There she is. The key to the pass.
Man, that's perfect position.
Protected on three sides
and the only way in
is through the front door.
They could be loaded and waiting.
We could hold this whole pass
from that house.
Like a pig can fly.
- Maybe they haven't been here yet.
- Don't bet on it.
Five yards apart
and in the same footsteps.
Who's gonna take the lead?
- You'll be able to see me real good
up there against the snow.
Look out! Somebody's in there!
(EXPLOSION / SCREAMING)
Mother.
Jackson, dig a hole. Pick the high
ground and watch out for mines.
Dean, take the first watch.
Lazitech relieve at 2200.
Crane knock out a place for the
chopper. Take care of that woman.
Kincaid, check this house out.
You too.
He's a tough little cookie.
What are you staring out, night fighter?
- Nothing.
Nothing at all.
It's alright,
I'm not gonna hurt her.
Just missed her
heart. I think she'll be alright.
Help him get her inside.
Knock out a gun port and stay handy.
This is it for the next 48 hours.
This is what?
- Home, boy. Home.
This will help the pain.
Works faster.
You got a... real light touch
with that thing, Doc.
You will be the biggest
force doctor ever to hit Nashville.
Maybe I'll start my practice near
Santa Fe. I'd kinda like to see
that place of yours, your girl too.
I wish you could meet her.
I wrote her about you guys.
She thinks we got
a lucky platoon here.
She's got more superstitions
than you ever heard of.
You know, when she saw me off
at the station at Santa Fe
this old man came along,
sweeping up the platform,
and suddenly Maria
just stood in his way.
She said,
"Don't sweep around here."
And this old man,
he looked at her
like she was crazy or something.
And so did I.
And I said to her, "Maria, what
the devil are you talking about?"
She said, "I don't want that man
sweeping away our good luck."
I guess maybe he swept it away
after all. What do you think, Doc?
Hi, Casey. How do you feel?
Four-O.
- Do you need anything?
Yeah.
A one-way ticket to New Mexico.
I knew you were bucking
for something.
See you later.
He needs a doctor today.
Is there a chance?
- No.
He's hit in the liver, he's gonna die.
- No!
Eddie, I haven't known you very long
but you know what I think, I think
we stand a good chance with you.
You think so?
- Yeah.
- You're a dreamer.
Our lives are running out
just like the sand in that glass.
Their men all over here. We
haven't got time to wait and see.
Don't any of you guys
want to go on living?
They are going to come swarming
over this place tonight and
they're gonna blast us outta here
like a handful of gravel.
Towler said the tanks are gonna
be here within 48hrs.
He was definite about that.
Sure, that Towler
is definite about everything.
But what about his record before he
got transferred to our expedition?
How many times has he been in
command? How many times did he make
the decisions and make them right?
Exactly no times.
I'll tell you something else,
he's not prepared to take over a
command, never commanded anything.
See, they are just not able to do
it. They are not born to do it.
Why did the lieutenant give him
the command? There must be a reason.
He makes a lot of sense. A guy
doesn't make sergeant for nothing.
What if we do pull out of here?
What happens when the main body
comes through?
What makes you think that battalion
is gonna show up?
- They got to!
And how are they going to get
through that army in the v alley?
- I think Bracken's right.
Somebody has got to lay it on the
line. I am going to get Kincaid,
he's the only chance we've got.
There are ten of us left
and here we are.
Division is ahead. The battalion
is behind, how far, I don't know.
Now, we could move out of here
while we can or we could stay here.
And stay here for good.
- That's one opinion.
Like snow is white
and dead men stink in the sun.
It's one opinion.
But you know it is the truth.
The pass is here and we're sitting
on it where we're supposed to be.
Out there are 1,000 marines.
And right now we are their eyes,
ears and noses.
We don't pull out now,
you can cross off ten men.
You go by the book, Towler, well,
the book says protect your men.
Kincaid, we stay here.
What are you trying to prove?
- We prove there are 10 marines.
Nine, maybe.
Nine marines and one black man
with an axe to grind.
We'll pull out and you'll be a hero.
Might even get the Navy Cross.
And when all your people hear
what you've done, they'll build a
statue for you in the cotton fields.
Saddle up, boys, we're moving out.
- Stay where you are!
Go ahead, you move. I'll pull this
and I'll push it down your throat.
I didn't ask for this command
but that is the way it is.
Any man who tries to leave without
orders, I'll shoot in the back.
You're marines and you're gonna act
like it as long as you're alive.
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
We've got some chow ready for the
guys going on watch. Want some?
No, thanks.
Sarge, er...
I, er, guess we deserved
that little lecture out there.
But we've been through some rough
campaigns with Kincaid and he has
been like a rabbit's foot for us
so naturally we listen to him.
- Yeah, I know.
And I understand
how he feels about the men.
I would like to move Casey
to a hospital
and get the rest of you out of here,
but I can't.
We've got over 1,000 men
out there somewhere,
there's a battalion of Caseys moving
through enemy territory and the only
way out is through this pass.
But if only we could be sure
they're coming.
If only the lieutenant were here
then he could make the decisions.
I don't care whether they get mad or
not, if they get mad enough maybe
they'll fight harder to stay alive.
I sure wouldn't want your job
right now.
I'll be able to take a regular watch
tonight. I've got Casey pretty well
doped up and the woman's asleep.
I'll be out to relieve you.
You've got to get some sleep too.
- Thanks.
(SINGS)
(LAUGHTER)
What's that song about?
The song is about a young girl
who is going out
and try to get some water
and she start talking to a tree?
Talking to a tree?
- Aren't you sorry for
what you thought now?
Where did you get that wine?
- Huh?!
The wine,
where you get it?
I got
it from the girl, from Maya.
Did you speak Korean?
- She's not full-blooded Korean.
She's got some French blood in her,
gets it from her father.
The U.N. has been here a long time!
You think we outta try that radio again?
I was gonna yell help,
but that's not in the code book
I am really worried about
you guys and your morale.
So that's why I try to get this
working, you might wanna call home.
I could call Intelligence and tell
one of those brilliant officers
about all the resistance I've
encountered in this area so they can
deny it. That about right?
Said it's a recording.
They're not in.
We went in the shack before we left
and I saw the Intelligence officer
who used to be in the taxi cab
business, not that it matters.
You remember the way he looked at
the white scarf?
And the boots, the jump boots.
The paratroopers are breaking their
ankles and he's wearing jump boots.
And he said, "Let us know
if there's any resistance. "
There wouldn't be any resistance and
that the people would be friendly.
We shouldn't take any arms, we
should just take money and try and
help their economy and buy things.
We'll go back and he'll be there.
He might have been promoted,
which denotes the passage of time,
and he'll change for the evening
to a darker scarf and jump boots
and he'll say,
how do you explain that resistance?
I'll say, how do you explain it?
I'm very hostile
when I get back from a patrol.
And he'll say, well, I didn't know.
I'll say, why don't you buy a paper
or open the window, you can hear it?
(LAUGHS)
Have you ever been in an outfit
where guys crack?
One guy walked up to an officer
and he was cold and panicked.
So this officer said you're going
back. So they sent him back
and he sent him stateside
to a hospital.
Oddly enough, a couple of the
officers who sent this guy back
fought over the right to escort him.
They put him under observation. They
kept him in there for four months.
He lucks out of the hospital
but he's in outpatient therapy.
They give him an identification card
and it has got their picture on it,
sealed in plastic and it's got
your thumbprint and it says,
this certifies that the undersigned
Joe Dokes is a patient
in outpatient therapy at
a veterans' psychoneurotic clinic.
And then you get to carry that
cos you might be in a market
and want to cash a cheque
or open an account.
Or it's great if a cop stops you
and says what are you doing?
Show him the card
and say I am a mad man.
Jackson, I'm sorry,
but you pulled the first watch.
OK. Save me some of that wine.
- Sure.
Never gets this cold in Arizona?
No, we've got a sun there.
Shines all day. Keeps everything
warm, even at night.
Ain't a place like this spot.
Four miles from our ho-gan.
My father used to take me hunting
Saturday mornings.
Lie there in the dark,
waiting for those mallards
to fly by.
Just talk about everything
to keep from falling asleep.
Did you go hunting?
Yeah. I've been hunting.
Never in the country.
I've been hunting, city style.
You know what I mean?
Right in the middle of
a million people.
And you hunt plenty more things
than jobs, and apartments.
Answers. People.
One person, even.
One person.
Did you ever find her, Eddie?
No.
But I am still looking.
Still hunting.
For everything.
# Dreaming of
# Those back at home we love
# Wondering when
# We'll hold them close again
# Time
# Somehow
# Seems all that matters now
# Moments spent
# With loved ones near
# All at once seem twice as dear
# To the hearts of all men here
# All...
# The young men
# All...
# The young men #
You guys sound like we lost the war.
Cotton, let's use that music box
you've been carrying all over Korea.
Play "The Saints".
(ALL CHATTER)
Go.
# "The Saints"
There we go.
Hear anything out there?
- Nothing definite.
You know how they move in.
You don't know where they are
till make their rush.
We've got some time yet. But they'll
hit us before the night's over.
- That's for sure.
What's the grenade count?
- 39.
39?!
That's not enough.
Keep your eyes open.
Quiet.
I hear something.
Scramble!
They're coming the other way!
Now!
Let's check those bodies.
Thanks, Chief.
You handle that thing
like Buffalo Bill.
Wish I could tell you that
I got it from my old man.
But, at my tribe nobody could
shoot straight. The cavalry died
of old age.
I'd better check
the rest of the bodies.
Dean!
Get back out there
and finish your watch.
You go with him.
It's alright, kid.
But, remember, be quiet. And if
your tongue gets itchy, swallow it.
Let's go.
(ROCKETS WHISTLE)
What do you think?
They're not
celebrating Christmas Eve.
Patrol didn't show up,
they'll be looking for them.
You sure?
- I'm not sure of anything.
Here, have a bite.
It's good for your nerves.
How long have you been in?
- Three months before I got assigned
to this outfit.
Seen any action?
- No.
We'd have a chance
if I'd saved that radio.
Not counting us out yet.
I'm gonna take a look out there.
This is Indian country. I stand
a better chance. They'll never know
I'm around.
I'll go with you.
You'll foul everything up.
I stand a better chance by myself.
Watch yourself.
They move awful quiet.
We need a password
when you come back.
I got one. Ya'at'eeh. That's the way
a Navaho says hello to a good friend
when he hasn't seen him for a while.
Ya'at'eeh. Got it?
Ya'at'eeh. I'll wait up for you.
I'll be home before dark.
See you in the reservation.
Korean coffee. It'll crack
your tongue.
Thanks 'caid.
How's Casey?
- Wrong time, wrong place.
It's my place. I should be lying
in there with my gut shot up.
You'd do the same thing.
Remember,
we're here because we have to be.
Why are you?
I'd like to live in America
and bring my family over.
Serve in the war,
citizen in one year - simple.
Maybe.
Have you heard from your family?
No.
It's over three months
that I heard from my family.
But I hope I got some letters
when I be back to the base.
It's a long way to come.
You should see the Christmas
in Sweden.
We get up early in the morning.
Take the horses and the sleigh,
go to church.
We have a service we call Julotta.
And then we go home and every member
in our family are there.
My aunts, uncles, cousins.
Everybody.
Sometimes up to 25, 30 people.
And that feeling we have
on Christmas,
is something you never forget.
It's so different over there.
Different and peaceful.
Tell me the truth,
what chance do we got?
Hear about the snowball in hell?
Joker One, this is Joker Two,
do you read me? Over.
What did they say?
- Hello, anybody? Anybody? Over.
Nothin'.
Try it again later. You never know.
I'd even be glad to hear from
the army about now.
That makes four of us.
You guys don't know about the army,
do you?
It's made up of guys who had kids
so they wouldn't have to go in.
You are looking at one of those.
- And that's the army.
But the marine corps is different.
A lot different than it was.
How?
- It's integrated.
I just integrated a new boot.
- Huh? What have you got?
Where did you get that?
- Back there by the pond.
He was frozen in the ice.
Hibernating.
If you keep recruiting boys like
that you'll be wearing stripes soon.
At least he's got some healthy
interests.
Are you thirsty, boy?
(CROAKS)
(LAUGHS) Watch this guy jump.
He's gonna be our good luck -
- We've got a mascot, have we?
We won't need any officers,
then, huh?
(CROAKS)
You've got yourself a hell of a
jumper. A conservative moderate.
He won't jump forward or backward,
just straight up. A real staff man.
Listen, Cotton,
I want you to do me a favour.
If I don't get out of this,
it happens to guys,
well,
when you get back to the States,
would you call my wife and my girl.
(ROCKETS WHISTLE)
See anything?
Come on, Chief,
what are you doing out there?
Hey, you're getting kinda jumpy.
Yeah. Jumpy and sick of you
right down to my guts.
You have been looking at me down
that nose of yours.
Every time I turn around
you are watching me.
You waiting for me to
make a mistake?
Sure I am watching you.
Every step of the way.
When things get hot I want to see
what you are going to do.
You go by the book, Towler.
And all the answers aren't there.
I understand that real good
and I understand why they broke you.
You play it by your own book.
You think you're the mightiest Marine
who ever greased the bayonet.
I haven't got any stripes.
I have nothing to lose.
I am warning you, stay off my back.
I am gonna run this outfit
the way I see it.
The only person who has got to
like it is me so you can go
straight to hell. Got that?
Maybe our day will come.
Maybe we'll run out of snowmen out there.
All that will be left is you and me.
Chief?
Is that you, Chief?
Halt!
Chief, is that you?
Chief, is that you?
Halt!
Halt. Who's there?
(GUNSHOTS)
Ya'at'eeh.
Good God!
Man, why didn't you yell?
They tried to follow me in.
No!
Funny sun.
- Yeah.
What a place for an Indian.
You'll be in Diego in a couple
of weeks. Plenty of sun there.
Eddie...
...you go to Arizona.
You've got a lot of land there.
It's not much good but...
it's wide open.
I'll go.
The sun.
Isn't even warm like my sun.
Eddie,
a Navajo shouldn't die in the snow.
Take the outpost.
What are you trying to do, light up
this whole place for their army?
I meant no harm.
I came to thank Buddha.
For what? For this stinking mess
we've got here?
For you. For sending you to help me.
Well, you'd better go back inside,
and no more candles.
I will thank Buddha within my heart,
as I thank you now.
Don't judge us the way we are now.
- Why not?
Because...
Because we are frightened now.
Because we have seen too much death
and we don't understand why.
Cos we have had to bury our friends
in places we can't even pronounce.
I felt like that
when my father was killed.
But time helps all of us. You too.
And the day will come
when your colour makes no difference
to any of them.
You had better go in.
- Good night.
Oh, man, am I glad to see you.
How is it, boy?
- Quiet, cold.
What are you doing here anyway,
I've still got half an hour yet?
I didn't have anything better to do.
I didn't live too far from you
back home, Muncie, Indiana.
Your folks still live in Muncie?
- No, they're dead.
They were killed in an auto accident
while I was still at boot camp.
I got a 10-day leave but they were
dead before I got home.
I stayed with my sister.
She's married and got a little boy.
They named him after me.
I don't know why.
He's always talking about his uncle
in the marines.
Thinks I have been through
a lot of fighting. He doesn't know.
Oh, man, it's cold out here.
There's some hot coffee back there.
Go get some.
That'd be alright?
- You're relieved, officially.
Thanks.
- Sure.
Where are you going?
I left my coat inside and I am going
to check back and get it.
Leave that wine alone.
I wanted to thank you for the wine.
It's got a real bite to it.
- I try to find for you some more.
No, don't go. Don't go anywhere.
I want to talk to you.
I don't know,
there's something in you that's,
well... What's the matter?
I wouldn't hurt you.
I never hurt a lady in my life.
I just came in here
to see if you were alright.
It's just not right for you
to be out here by yourself,
away from everything.
Don't be afraid.
(SCREAMING)
I could have you shot for this.
You still don't know your place,
do you, night fighter?
Somebody has still got to show
it to you, don't they, boy?
Outside!
You are not going to shoot anybody,
you are going to turn right around
and go back through that door.
Outside.
- You starting to sweat, black boy?
You had better
start sweating those words out.
You remember how to say excuse me.
Excuse me, sir. Huh?
Let me hear it, boy.
I want to hear those words.
I want to hear excuse me, sir.
Excuse me, sir. The next time you
come in here without a direct order
from me, I am going to take you out
and shoot you. Now get out!
Hello, Casey.
Are you still knocking around?
I thought maybe you'd shipped out.
- Not a chance.
How's it going?
They're coming, aren't they, Tor?
You know it as well as me.
Tell me the truth.
Tor, listen to me.
Carry me out to a gun port
and set me up there.
I can line them up just as good as
you can. Even better.
You know that, right?
- Right.
Save it, Doc. That stuff and me, we've
been together too long, it's no use.
I still got a good fight
left in me yet.
You wrap him up good, Doc.
I'll lay out the enemy for you.
- You mean it?
- Sure.
You got one of them Swedish smokes?
Sure.
Let's see,
this will make 27 I owe you.
I'm keeping a record.
Well, when we get out from this,
you're buying all the smokes.
Right?
Right. You got yourself a deal, Tor.
I see you outside.
- OK.
Do you really believe
there's something else after this?
What I mean is...
- I know what you mean.
You really do believe it, don't you?
- Yes, I do, Casey.
I always thought that stuff
was for other people.
I could take it or leave it.
Now I...
have just got to see Maria again.
I gotta believe I'll see her.
I want to believe it but I don't.
Don't you?
(SCREAMING SHELLS)
Hi, Casey. You coming to work?
Are you ready, Casey?
Ready, Tor.
- Good.
This is all that's left. Keep them handy.
- Right, Sergeant.
Don't use them till they're close.
We'll make them count.
- We'd better.
(GUNFIRE / EXPLOSIONS)
Crane, take over!
Casey?
Casey?
(WEEPS)
(GUNFIRE STOPS)
It's been a long day.
Lazitech never had a chance
out here alone.
They won't try us again for a while.
They'll wait to move their tanks up.
Change your luck?
No, thanks.
I'll wait till they get started.
We've been in a lot of foxholes
together. I hope this isn't
the last time out.
Home before Christmas, hill boy.
- Yeah, home before Christmas.
Some chicken and fried mush,
and about 50 hushpuppies apiece.
What have you got, a spare rocket?
Christmas is about three days away.
I said next Christmas.
How long since you been home?
Too long.
Have you heard from your wife?
- No. My boy writes though.
You know, he's almost five feet tall.
Great kicker.
A regular chip, huh?
- I hope he amounts to something.
It's none of my business
but...
- But what, old boy?
Why don't you do something about
your wife when this is all over?
I got a hunch
you're gonna fix it up.
I got a hunch you can fix just
about anything.
I had my chances.
She tried.
But I am a marine. A wanderer.
And a wanderer is always alone.
You're not alone. They could be
all around you right now
and you'll never know it
until they slit your throat.
Next time you flake out,
I'll kill you myself!
It's my fault.
- It's nobody's fault if you're dead!
There's something moving! There's
something moving up the road!
(ENGINE RUMBLES)
Sounds like a tank.
Yeah, Christmas mail,
special delivery.
Yeah, hill boy.
Get me the kerosene.
Make me some torches, fast.
Torches?
Sticks and cloth, they light easy
and burn real bright.
Get going.
We've got to stop that tank
before it gets to the house.
There's only one this time.
Boy, I wish I had a bazooka.
- The torches might do the job.
What job? Light us up like ducks
in the shooting gallery?
We are gonna light up the tank, we
are gonna give it a kerosene bath.
Oil it up and smoke 'em out.
You might have a pretty good idea.
I'll flip you for the tank.
That's not what it says in my book.
What does it say in your book?
- Double or nothing.
Double or nothing.
It's OK, it's only us.
It's the best we could do.
How many do you think there are?
- Only one.
Let's keep it that way, huh?
Get everybody at their gun ports.
Nobody is to come out after us.
If we miss the tank you'll have to
get it. Concentrate the grenades.
Tell Crane nobody is to move out.
OK, Sarge.
We'll keep your dinner warm.
(GUNFIRE)
Stay directly behind him. They can't
hit us from there. Let's go!
(GUNFIRE)
Look out! The turret!
I'll take care of the men inside.
(EXPLOSION)
(PIERCING SCREAM)
I'll tell you what he needs.
He needs about three hours on an
operating table with the best
surgeon the navy can give him.
The wound cleaned,
the muscle tissue and tendons cut
down to half the size, the bone set,
and then a real fine skin graft
done on that leg and put in a cast.
How long can he live if we move out?
- We aren't going anyplace.
You keep him alive right here.
There's only one chance
and that is to cut his leg off.
And that'd save him?
- Can you do it?
I don't now, I've never done
anything like it before.
Have you seen it done?
- Med school.
Alright, get him ready.
- I can't do it.
We'll know in a while
if you can or cannot.
He'd rather die than lose it.
What do you need?
- I'll need plenty of blood
or he'll die right here
on the table. Type O.
I used my last bottle of plasma
on Casey.
Lazitech, dead. Casey. Thompson.
And you, Sergeant.
Nobody else?
- No.
You can't do that, not to Kincaid.
The snow out there
is soaked with blood, all types.
Why don't you go out and suck up
type O. I got no time for a debate.
I've got 1,000 men coming and
whether most of them live or die
depends on what I do before morning.
You'd rather see him die?
OK.
(SCREAMS OUT IN AGONY)
Sergeant, I want you to listen
to me. It's very important.
I want you to start squeezing your
hand in a slow pulse-like rhythm.
And don't stop, no matter what
happens. Just keep going. Got it?
Bracken?
- Yeah.
Your job is to keep this tube tight.
Release that clamp when I say.
OK?
Bracken!
- Yeah.
Get that alcohol ready, Cotton.
I want you to keep his head mopped
down. Pour it over my hands.
Undercover that leg. Come on.
Hand me that small knife?
- Which one?
- Right there.
Come on.
I just can't make the cut.
- Sure you can, boy.
I don't know enough.
- Yes, you do.
I've seen those books you carry
around cos you want to be a doctor.
If you want to save lives, this
is it. We don't have much time.
Maybe you don't have the benefit of
no sacred oath or no fancy diplomas
but right now you are a doctor and
you're gonna take his leg off now!
Alright, Bracken, release the clamp.
Release the clamp, Bracken.
You foul this up in
and I'll kill you.
Sergeant, you just squeeze that hand
real slow, just like I told you.
And don't you stop, no matter what,
until I tell you to. Alright?
Wipe my head, please.
Cotton, get that big knife ready.
Alright, lift this leg up.
Come on, lift this leg up.
(SCREAMS)
I can't give him any more morphine,
he's loaded up enough now.
Try forcing some of that wine
down his throat.
Hill boy...
...play The Saints.
He wants my record.
- Play it, buddy.
Go get it. Get it back here fast,
we need all the help we can get.
And play it loud.
When will they get through in there?
You see anything?
- No, I can't see more than the fog.
But I have the feeling
they are coming again.
They are always coming again. Do you
know how many Chinese there are?
About 650 million.
That they know about. And I got
the feeling they are all draft age.
# "The Saints"
There you are.
- Cotton, come on.
(SCREAMS)
Sponge.
Get another one.
Come on.
Needle and thread, Cotton.
Keep that fist pumping.
Hand me the battle dressing, Cotton.
Move over here and help me.
Hold that.
Turn that record player off.
Thank God.
Maya, get a blanket over there in
the corner and cover him up, please.
Man, if my appendix ever kicks up
again, I'll look you up.
Outside, Cotton. Back to
your station and stay alert, boy.
OK.
You relieve Jackson at the outpost.
And watch out for that heavy
equipment, they'll be pushing it up.
How's Kincaid?
There's a line of tanks
moving up out there.
How close?
- Five minutes away.
String's really run out on us.
Get everybody ready to move out
and send Wade in here.
Towler.
Are you alright?
Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks.
Get Kincaid ready to move.
If we move him very far
it'll kill him.
I know, but Bracken spotted
a line of their tanks moving up.
They're gonna bust this house open.
- What are we gonna do?
I got a piece
of high ground picked out
and we might be able to hold out
there. Can he stay alive that long?
He's alright now, he's loaded up
with wine and morphine.
Grab the family, head out
the back gate and keep moving.
Right. Are you OK?
- I've felt better.
Torgil and Crane have the points.
Take over back here and keep moving.
I'm depending on you.
OK, sergeant.
They'll take you up the pass,
you'll be safe there.
When will you come?
I'll be along.
I'm gonna watch the approach.
I don't want them catching you.
I understand.
I want to see you again.
(EXPLOSION)
They are coming for
one last big push.
You had better get out of here
while you still got time.
- I am not leaving you here, Tiger.
I've got an investment in you.
Some of my best blood
is running through your veins.
I don't want nothin'
to happen to it.
(INCOMING SHELL)
(EXPLOSION)
Sure look good.
- We're not alone any more.
The battalion should be
right behind them.
# When the Saints
# Go marching on...
Merry Christmas, Tiger.
- Same to you,
Sergeant.
'Time - 0500.'
'Combined United Nations forces
committed to repel
the aggressive action of North Korea
and the Chinese Communists
strike at Wonsan, Korea.'
'An advance marine unit
of that successful invasion force,
2nd Platoon, Baker Company.'
'Their vital objective,
find and hold a Korean farmhouse
at the strategic pass
north of Majang-ni.'
'Lifeline for the advance of
the 3rd Battalion -
1,000 United States Marines.'
Look out!
(GROANS)
Testing.
Come in!
Testing, one, two.
Have you tried it?
- Yeah, nothing.
They're looking down our throats.
We sure can't hole up here.
Come on, let's get over the ridge.
Come on!
Ease him down.
See the corpsmen?
- No.
What happened to Casey?
- It's my fault.
How bad?
- Very bad.
Are we all that's left?
- I don't know.
You can bet these hills
are loaded with them.
I've never seen anything like it.
- They're really operating the snow.
We gotta get him to a hospital.
- Not before dark.
How do we get out of this one?
- That is the $64 question.
We haven't even got a sergeant left.
It's Jordan!
Come on Danny, the chief's
waiting for us over the ridge.
Hold it. Wait.
Where's your lieutenant?
- I think maybe he got hit.
I'd better take a look.
- Are you crazy?
He's got the maps.
We don't stand a chance without them.
You're not going anywhere.
We stay here together.
This is it, Bracken, you may be here
long enough to get your mail.
Do you think
this is all that's left?
What are you making out,
a strength report? We got smeared.
You know it.
How long are we gonna stay here?
Ha! I don't know, this is the drop
zone for the Christmas packages.
I'd sure like to know
how many are out there.
More than you saw. This is a great
spot for the Marlboro Man.
- Look! Towler has got the lieutenant.
Hand me that blanket.
Is he alive?
- He's alive.
But he's hit bad.
Where'd he get it?
- Where didn't he get it?
Sergeant.
Towler, I am talking to you.
- Sir?
I'm turning the command over to you.
I want you to get that farmhouse.
No matter how you do it.
Latch on to it and hold it.
If you don't,
they'll cut the battalion in half.
Do you hear me, Towler?
- I can't take over this outfit.
Kincaid's the one.
He's much more experienced.
- I'm not asking you to take over.
I'm telling you. You're not wearing
those stripes for nothing.
I'm turning these men over to you.
The men and the job.
Get it done. Get it done right.
- I'll try, sir. I'll try.
It's so cold.
So damn cold.
- I know.
11 years in this outfit and it's
the tenth lieutenant I've lost.
Privilege of rank.
Can you fix the radio?
- Sorry, but I can't.
Alright, kid.
What's the plan now?
- Ask Towler, he's in command.
Hell he is. Why, you know more about
getting us out of here than anyone.
Bracken, take care of this body.
- You do it, black boy.
Go dig.
- I haven't got a shovel. I lost it.
You got one now.
Where I come from, Towler,
the black man does the digging.
We are not where you come from.
That's a great beginning.
I need your help, Kincaid.
I'm counting on it.
You ought to be calling the shots.
Lieutenant called the shot.
You're in command.
They're your men now.
But remember they're my men too,
we've been through hell together.
And if you start cracking up
I'll be right on top of you.
Check?
- Check.
On your feet, we are moving out.
This path across the ravine is the
shortest way. We'd save half a day.
Save half a day
and maybe get blown to hell.
There's one quick way to find out.
Bracken? Dean? Build me a mine sled,
heavy enough to explode deep ones.
I want it the same weight
as a man's body. And hurry.
You're falling behind.
- I'll close it up. I've been looking
for them behind every tree.
I know.
We are not hard to follow.
They'll track us in and keep coming.
It's just a question of time.
Time...time!
We'll have to take the long way.
And watch your step.
This ridge is covered with ice,
one slip and you've had it.
(SCREAMS)
Stay where you are.
I know this boy. He'll listen to me.
I'll go down and talk him in.
He'll crack up.
Try to talk him up from here.
He's too far away. I'll follow
the sled tracks down to the mine.
Try and talk him in from there.
- OK. But don't take any chances. We
can't afford to lose any more men.
Everybody stay where they are.
Stay in those tracks.
Easy boy. Easy. Listen to me.
Do what I say and do it right.
There.
Easy. Wrap it around you.
Attaboy.
And start walking.
- I can't, ?caid.
I can't...
- Sure you can, boy. Start walking.
Come on. Come on, boy.
Take it slow.
One step at a time.
That's a boy. Come on.
Come on. Walk.
That's it. Hurry up.
Look straight ahead. Move!
I can't.
- Danny!
Danny, stay there, boy.
Stay there.
Make it, ?caid.
Come on, Danny boy.
We'll go back the same way I came.
We'll get blown to hell!
Get to the first level.
I can reach you with a rope.
(GROANS)
How do you feel, boy?
- OK.
Take the head. Keep moving.
We'll catch up with you.
There she is. The key to the pass.
Man, that's perfect position.
Protected on three sides
and the only way in
is through the front door.
They could be loaded and waiting.
We could hold this whole pass
from that house.
Like a pig can fly.
- Maybe they haven't been here yet.
- Don't bet on it.
Five yards apart
and in the same footsteps.
Who's gonna take the lead?
- You'll be able to see me real good
up there against the snow.
Look out! Somebody's in there!
(EXPLOSION / SCREAMING)
Mother.
Jackson, dig a hole. Pick the high
ground and watch out for mines.
Dean, take the first watch.
Lazitech relieve at 2200.
Crane knock out a place for the
chopper. Take care of that woman.
Kincaid, check this house out.
You too.
He's a tough little cookie.
What are you staring out, night fighter?
- Nothing.
Nothing at all.
It's alright,
I'm not gonna hurt her.
Just missed her
heart. I think she'll be alright.
Help him get her inside.
Knock out a gun port and stay handy.
This is it for the next 48 hours.
This is what?
- Home, boy. Home.
This will help the pain.
Works faster.
You got a... real light touch
with that thing, Doc.
You will be the biggest
force doctor ever to hit Nashville.
Maybe I'll start my practice near
Santa Fe. I'd kinda like to see
that place of yours, your girl too.
I wish you could meet her.
I wrote her about you guys.
She thinks we got
a lucky platoon here.
She's got more superstitions
than you ever heard of.
You know, when she saw me off
at the station at Santa Fe
this old man came along,
sweeping up the platform,
and suddenly Maria
just stood in his way.
She said,
"Don't sweep around here."
And this old man,
he looked at her
like she was crazy or something.
And so did I.
And I said to her, "Maria, what
the devil are you talking about?"
She said, "I don't want that man
sweeping away our good luck."
I guess maybe he swept it away
after all. What do you think, Doc?
Hi, Casey. How do you feel?
Four-O.
- Do you need anything?
Yeah.
A one-way ticket to New Mexico.
I knew you were bucking
for something.
See you later.
He needs a doctor today.
Is there a chance?
- No.
He's hit in the liver, he's gonna die.
- No!
Eddie, I haven't known you very long
but you know what I think, I think
we stand a good chance with you.
You think so?
- Yeah.
- You're a dreamer.
Our lives are running out
just like the sand in that glass.
Their men all over here. We
haven't got time to wait and see.
Don't any of you guys
want to go on living?
They are going to come swarming
over this place tonight and
they're gonna blast us outta here
like a handful of gravel.
Towler said the tanks are gonna
be here within 48hrs.
He was definite about that.
Sure, that Towler
is definite about everything.
But what about his record before he
got transferred to our expedition?
How many times has he been in
command? How many times did he make
the decisions and make them right?
Exactly no times.
I'll tell you something else,
he's not prepared to take over a
command, never commanded anything.
See, they are just not able to do
it. They are not born to do it.
Why did the lieutenant give him
the command? There must be a reason.
He makes a lot of sense. A guy
doesn't make sergeant for nothing.
What if we do pull out of here?
What happens when the main body
comes through?
What makes you think that battalion
is gonna show up?
- They got to!
And how are they going to get
through that army in the v alley?
- I think Bracken's right.
Somebody has got to lay it on the
line. I am going to get Kincaid,
he's the only chance we've got.
There are ten of us left
and here we are.
Division is ahead. The battalion
is behind, how far, I don't know.
Now, we could move out of here
while we can or we could stay here.
And stay here for good.
- That's one opinion.
Like snow is white
and dead men stink in the sun.
It's one opinion.
But you know it is the truth.
The pass is here and we're sitting
on it where we're supposed to be.
Out there are 1,000 marines.
And right now we are their eyes,
ears and noses.
We don't pull out now,
you can cross off ten men.
You go by the book, Towler, well,
the book says protect your men.
Kincaid, we stay here.
What are you trying to prove?
- We prove there are 10 marines.
Nine, maybe.
Nine marines and one black man
with an axe to grind.
We'll pull out and you'll be a hero.
Might even get the Navy Cross.
And when all your people hear
what you've done, they'll build a
statue for you in the cotton fields.
Saddle up, boys, we're moving out.
- Stay where you are!
Go ahead, you move. I'll pull this
and I'll push it down your throat.
I didn't ask for this command
but that is the way it is.
Any man who tries to leave without
orders, I'll shoot in the back.
You're marines and you're gonna act
like it as long as you're alive.
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
We've got some chow ready for the
guys going on watch. Want some?
No, thanks.
Sarge, er...
I, er, guess we deserved
that little lecture out there.
But we've been through some rough
campaigns with Kincaid and he has
been like a rabbit's foot for us
so naturally we listen to him.
- Yeah, I know.
And I understand
how he feels about the men.
I would like to move Casey
to a hospital
and get the rest of you out of here,
but I can't.
We've got over 1,000 men
out there somewhere,
there's a battalion of Caseys moving
through enemy territory and the only
way out is through this pass.
But if only we could be sure
they're coming.
If only the lieutenant were here
then he could make the decisions.
I don't care whether they get mad or
not, if they get mad enough maybe
they'll fight harder to stay alive.
I sure wouldn't want your job
right now.
I'll be able to take a regular watch
tonight. I've got Casey pretty well
doped up and the woman's asleep.
I'll be out to relieve you.
You've got to get some sleep too.
- Thanks.
(SINGS)
(LAUGHTER)
What's that song about?
The song is about a young girl
who is going out
and try to get some water
and she start talking to a tree?
Talking to a tree?
- Aren't you sorry for
what you thought now?
Where did you get that wine?
- Huh?!
The wine,
where you get it?
I got
it from the girl, from Maya.
Did you speak Korean?
- She's not full-blooded Korean.
She's got some French blood in her,
gets it from her father.
The U.N. has been here a long time!
You think we outta try that radio again?
I was gonna yell help,
but that's not in the code book
I am really worried about
you guys and your morale.
So that's why I try to get this
working, you might wanna call home.
I could call Intelligence and tell
one of those brilliant officers
about all the resistance I've
encountered in this area so they can
deny it. That about right?
Said it's a recording.
They're not in.
We went in the shack before we left
and I saw the Intelligence officer
who used to be in the taxi cab
business, not that it matters.
You remember the way he looked at
the white scarf?
And the boots, the jump boots.
The paratroopers are breaking their
ankles and he's wearing jump boots.
And he said, "Let us know
if there's any resistance. "
There wouldn't be any resistance and
that the people would be friendly.
We shouldn't take any arms, we
should just take money and try and
help their economy and buy things.
We'll go back and he'll be there.
He might have been promoted,
which denotes the passage of time,
and he'll change for the evening
to a darker scarf and jump boots
and he'll say,
how do you explain that resistance?
I'll say, how do you explain it?
I'm very hostile
when I get back from a patrol.
And he'll say, well, I didn't know.
I'll say, why don't you buy a paper
or open the window, you can hear it?
(LAUGHS)
Have you ever been in an outfit
where guys crack?
One guy walked up to an officer
and he was cold and panicked.
So this officer said you're going
back. So they sent him back
and he sent him stateside
to a hospital.
Oddly enough, a couple of the
officers who sent this guy back
fought over the right to escort him.
They put him under observation. They
kept him in there for four months.
He lucks out of the hospital
but he's in outpatient therapy.
They give him an identification card
and it has got their picture on it,
sealed in plastic and it's got
your thumbprint and it says,
this certifies that the undersigned
Joe Dokes is a patient
in outpatient therapy at
a veterans' psychoneurotic clinic.
And then you get to carry that
cos you might be in a market
and want to cash a cheque
or open an account.
Or it's great if a cop stops you
and says what are you doing?
Show him the card
and say I am a mad man.
Jackson, I'm sorry,
but you pulled the first watch.
OK. Save me some of that wine.
- Sure.
Never gets this cold in Arizona?
No, we've got a sun there.
Shines all day. Keeps everything
warm, even at night.
Ain't a place like this spot.
Four miles from our ho-gan.
My father used to take me hunting
Saturday mornings.
Lie there in the dark,
waiting for those mallards
to fly by.
Just talk about everything
to keep from falling asleep.
Did you go hunting?
Yeah. I've been hunting.
Never in the country.
I've been hunting, city style.
You know what I mean?
Right in the middle of
a million people.
And you hunt plenty more things
than jobs, and apartments.
Answers. People.
One person, even.
One person.
Did you ever find her, Eddie?
No.
But I am still looking.
Still hunting.
For everything.
# Dreaming of
# Those back at home we love
# Wondering when
# We'll hold them close again
# Time
# Somehow
# Seems all that matters now
# Moments spent
# With loved ones near
# All at once seem twice as dear
# To the hearts of all men here
# All...
# The young men
# All...
# The young men #
You guys sound like we lost the war.
Cotton, let's use that music box
you've been carrying all over Korea.
Play "The Saints".
(ALL CHATTER)
Go.
# "The Saints"
There we go.
Hear anything out there?
- Nothing definite.
You know how they move in.
You don't know where they are
till make their rush.
We've got some time yet. But they'll
hit us before the night's over.
- That's for sure.
What's the grenade count?
- 39.
39?!
That's not enough.
Keep your eyes open.
Quiet.
I hear something.
Scramble!
They're coming the other way!
Now!
Let's check those bodies.
Thanks, Chief.
You handle that thing
like Buffalo Bill.
Wish I could tell you that
I got it from my old man.
But, at my tribe nobody could
shoot straight. The cavalry died
of old age.
I'd better check
the rest of the bodies.
Dean!
Get back out there
and finish your watch.
You go with him.
It's alright, kid.
But, remember, be quiet. And if
your tongue gets itchy, swallow it.
Let's go.
(ROCKETS WHISTLE)
What do you think?
They're not
celebrating Christmas Eve.
Patrol didn't show up,
they'll be looking for them.
You sure?
- I'm not sure of anything.
Here, have a bite.
It's good for your nerves.
How long have you been in?
- Three months before I got assigned
to this outfit.
Seen any action?
- No.
We'd have a chance
if I'd saved that radio.
Not counting us out yet.
I'm gonna take a look out there.
This is Indian country. I stand
a better chance. They'll never know
I'm around.
I'll go with you.
You'll foul everything up.
I stand a better chance by myself.
Watch yourself.
They move awful quiet.
We need a password
when you come back.
I got one. Ya'at'eeh. That's the way
a Navaho says hello to a good friend
when he hasn't seen him for a while.
Ya'at'eeh. Got it?
Ya'at'eeh. I'll wait up for you.
I'll be home before dark.
See you in the reservation.
Korean coffee. It'll crack
your tongue.
Thanks 'caid.
How's Casey?
- Wrong time, wrong place.
It's my place. I should be lying
in there with my gut shot up.
You'd do the same thing.
Remember,
we're here because we have to be.
Why are you?
I'd like to live in America
and bring my family over.
Serve in the war,
citizen in one year - simple.
Maybe.
Have you heard from your family?
No.
It's over three months
that I heard from my family.
But I hope I got some letters
when I be back to the base.
It's a long way to come.
You should see the Christmas
in Sweden.
We get up early in the morning.
Take the horses and the sleigh,
go to church.
We have a service we call Julotta.
And then we go home and every member
in our family are there.
My aunts, uncles, cousins.
Everybody.
Sometimes up to 25, 30 people.
And that feeling we have
on Christmas,
is something you never forget.
It's so different over there.
Different and peaceful.
Tell me the truth,
what chance do we got?
Hear about the snowball in hell?
Joker One, this is Joker Two,
do you read me? Over.
What did they say?
- Hello, anybody? Anybody? Over.
Nothin'.
Try it again later. You never know.
I'd even be glad to hear from
the army about now.
That makes four of us.
You guys don't know about the army,
do you?
It's made up of guys who had kids
so they wouldn't have to go in.
You are looking at one of those.
- And that's the army.
But the marine corps is different.
A lot different than it was.
How?
- It's integrated.
I just integrated a new boot.
- Huh? What have you got?
Where did you get that?
- Back there by the pond.
He was frozen in the ice.
Hibernating.
If you keep recruiting boys like
that you'll be wearing stripes soon.
At least he's got some healthy
interests.
Are you thirsty, boy?
(CROAKS)
(LAUGHS) Watch this guy jump.
He's gonna be our good luck -
- We've got a mascot, have we?
We won't need any officers,
then, huh?
(CROAKS)
You've got yourself a hell of a
jumper. A conservative moderate.
He won't jump forward or backward,
just straight up. A real staff man.
Listen, Cotton,
I want you to do me a favour.
If I don't get out of this,
it happens to guys,
well,
when you get back to the States,
would you call my wife and my girl.
(ROCKETS WHISTLE)
See anything?
Come on, Chief,
what are you doing out there?
Hey, you're getting kinda jumpy.
Yeah. Jumpy and sick of you
right down to my guts.
You have been looking at me down
that nose of yours.
Every time I turn around
you are watching me.
You waiting for me to
make a mistake?
Sure I am watching you.
Every step of the way.
When things get hot I want to see
what you are going to do.
You go by the book, Towler.
And all the answers aren't there.
I understand that real good
and I understand why they broke you.
You play it by your own book.
You think you're the mightiest Marine
who ever greased the bayonet.
I haven't got any stripes.
I have nothing to lose.
I am warning you, stay off my back.
I am gonna run this outfit
the way I see it.
The only person who has got to
like it is me so you can go
straight to hell. Got that?
Maybe our day will come.
Maybe we'll run out of snowmen out there.
All that will be left is you and me.
Chief?
Is that you, Chief?
Halt!
Chief, is that you?
Chief, is that you?
Halt!
Halt. Who's there?
(GUNSHOTS)
Ya'at'eeh.
Good God!
Man, why didn't you yell?
They tried to follow me in.
No!
Funny sun.
- Yeah.
What a place for an Indian.
You'll be in Diego in a couple
of weeks. Plenty of sun there.
Eddie...
...you go to Arizona.
You've got a lot of land there.
It's not much good but...
it's wide open.
I'll go.
The sun.
Isn't even warm like my sun.
Eddie,
a Navajo shouldn't die in the snow.
Take the outpost.
What are you trying to do, light up
this whole place for their army?
I meant no harm.
I came to thank Buddha.
For what? For this stinking mess
we've got here?
For you. For sending you to help me.
Well, you'd better go back inside,
and no more candles.
I will thank Buddha within my heart,
as I thank you now.
Don't judge us the way we are now.
- Why not?
Because...
Because we are frightened now.
Because we have seen too much death
and we don't understand why.
Cos we have had to bury our friends
in places we can't even pronounce.
I felt like that
when my father was killed.
But time helps all of us. You too.
And the day will come
when your colour makes no difference
to any of them.
You had better go in.
- Good night.
Oh, man, am I glad to see you.
How is it, boy?
- Quiet, cold.
What are you doing here anyway,
I've still got half an hour yet?
I didn't have anything better to do.
I didn't live too far from you
back home, Muncie, Indiana.
Your folks still live in Muncie?
- No, they're dead.
They were killed in an auto accident
while I was still at boot camp.
I got a 10-day leave but they were
dead before I got home.
I stayed with my sister.
She's married and got a little boy.
They named him after me.
I don't know why.
He's always talking about his uncle
in the marines.
Thinks I have been through
a lot of fighting. He doesn't know.
Oh, man, it's cold out here.
There's some hot coffee back there.
Go get some.
That'd be alright?
- You're relieved, officially.
Thanks.
- Sure.
Where are you going?
I left my coat inside and I am going
to check back and get it.
Leave that wine alone.
I wanted to thank you for the wine.
It's got a real bite to it.
- I try to find for you some more.
No, don't go. Don't go anywhere.
I want to talk to you.
I don't know,
there's something in you that's,
well... What's the matter?
I wouldn't hurt you.
I never hurt a lady in my life.
I just came in here
to see if you were alright.
It's just not right for you
to be out here by yourself,
away from everything.
Don't be afraid.
(SCREAMING)
I could have you shot for this.
You still don't know your place,
do you, night fighter?
Somebody has still got to show
it to you, don't they, boy?
Outside!
You are not going to shoot anybody,
you are going to turn right around
and go back through that door.
Outside.
- You starting to sweat, black boy?
You had better
start sweating those words out.
You remember how to say excuse me.
Excuse me, sir. Huh?
Let me hear it, boy.
I want to hear those words.
I want to hear excuse me, sir.
Excuse me, sir. The next time you
come in here without a direct order
from me, I am going to take you out
and shoot you. Now get out!
Hello, Casey.
Are you still knocking around?
I thought maybe you'd shipped out.
- Not a chance.
How's it going?
They're coming, aren't they, Tor?
You know it as well as me.
Tell me the truth.
Tor, listen to me.
Carry me out to a gun port
and set me up there.
I can line them up just as good as
you can. Even better.
You know that, right?
- Right.
Save it, Doc. That stuff and me, we've
been together too long, it's no use.
I still got a good fight
left in me yet.
You wrap him up good, Doc.
I'll lay out the enemy for you.
- You mean it?
- Sure.
You got one of them Swedish smokes?
Sure.
Let's see,
this will make 27 I owe you.
I'm keeping a record.
Well, when we get out from this,
you're buying all the smokes.
Right?
Right. You got yourself a deal, Tor.
I see you outside.
- OK.
Do you really believe
there's something else after this?
What I mean is...
- I know what you mean.
You really do believe it, don't you?
- Yes, I do, Casey.
I always thought that stuff
was for other people.
I could take it or leave it.
Now I...
have just got to see Maria again.
I gotta believe I'll see her.
I want to believe it but I don't.
Don't you?
(SCREAMING SHELLS)
Hi, Casey. You coming to work?
Are you ready, Casey?
Ready, Tor.
- Good.
This is all that's left. Keep them handy.
- Right, Sergeant.
Don't use them till they're close.
We'll make them count.
- We'd better.
(GUNFIRE / EXPLOSIONS)
Crane, take over!
Casey?
Casey?
(WEEPS)
(GUNFIRE STOPS)
It's been a long day.
Lazitech never had a chance
out here alone.
They won't try us again for a while.
They'll wait to move their tanks up.
Change your luck?
No, thanks.
I'll wait till they get started.
We've been in a lot of foxholes
together. I hope this isn't
the last time out.
Home before Christmas, hill boy.
- Yeah, home before Christmas.
Some chicken and fried mush,
and about 50 hushpuppies apiece.
What have you got, a spare rocket?
Christmas is about three days away.
I said next Christmas.
How long since you been home?
Too long.
Have you heard from your wife?
- No. My boy writes though.
You know, he's almost five feet tall.
Great kicker.
A regular chip, huh?
- I hope he amounts to something.
It's none of my business
but...
- But what, old boy?
Why don't you do something about
your wife when this is all over?
I got a hunch
you're gonna fix it up.
I got a hunch you can fix just
about anything.
I had my chances.
She tried.
But I am a marine. A wanderer.
And a wanderer is always alone.
You're not alone. They could be
all around you right now
and you'll never know it
until they slit your throat.
Next time you flake out,
I'll kill you myself!
It's my fault.
- It's nobody's fault if you're dead!
There's something moving! There's
something moving up the road!
(ENGINE RUMBLES)
Sounds like a tank.
Yeah, Christmas mail,
special delivery.
Yeah, hill boy.
Get me the kerosene.
Make me some torches, fast.
Torches?
Sticks and cloth, they light easy
and burn real bright.
Get going.
We've got to stop that tank
before it gets to the house.
There's only one this time.
Boy, I wish I had a bazooka.
- The torches might do the job.
What job? Light us up like ducks
in the shooting gallery?
We are gonna light up the tank, we
are gonna give it a kerosene bath.
Oil it up and smoke 'em out.
You might have a pretty good idea.
I'll flip you for the tank.
That's not what it says in my book.
What does it say in your book?
- Double or nothing.
Double or nothing.
It's OK, it's only us.
It's the best we could do.
How many do you think there are?
- Only one.
Let's keep it that way, huh?
Get everybody at their gun ports.
Nobody is to come out after us.
If we miss the tank you'll have to
get it. Concentrate the grenades.
Tell Crane nobody is to move out.
OK, Sarge.
We'll keep your dinner warm.
(GUNFIRE)
Stay directly behind him. They can't
hit us from there. Let's go!
(GUNFIRE)
Look out! The turret!
I'll take care of the men inside.
(EXPLOSION)
(PIERCING SCREAM)
I'll tell you what he needs.
He needs about three hours on an
operating table with the best
surgeon the navy can give him.
The wound cleaned,
the muscle tissue and tendons cut
down to half the size, the bone set,
and then a real fine skin graft
done on that leg and put in a cast.
How long can he live if we move out?
- We aren't going anyplace.
You keep him alive right here.
There's only one chance
and that is to cut his leg off.
And that'd save him?
- Can you do it?
I don't now, I've never done
anything like it before.
Have you seen it done?
- Med school.
Alright, get him ready.
- I can't do it.
We'll know in a while
if you can or cannot.
He'd rather die than lose it.
What do you need?
- I'll need plenty of blood
or he'll die right here
on the table. Type O.
I used my last bottle of plasma
on Casey.
Lazitech, dead. Casey. Thompson.
And you, Sergeant.
Nobody else?
- No.
You can't do that, not to Kincaid.
The snow out there
is soaked with blood, all types.
Why don't you go out and suck up
type O. I got no time for a debate.
I've got 1,000 men coming and
whether most of them live or die
depends on what I do before morning.
You'd rather see him die?
OK.
(SCREAMS OUT IN AGONY)
Sergeant, I want you to listen
to me. It's very important.
I want you to start squeezing your
hand in a slow pulse-like rhythm.
And don't stop, no matter what
happens. Just keep going. Got it?
Bracken?
- Yeah.
Your job is to keep this tube tight.
Release that clamp when I say.
OK?
Bracken!
- Yeah.
Get that alcohol ready, Cotton.
I want you to keep his head mopped
down. Pour it over my hands.
Undercover that leg. Come on.
Hand me that small knife?
- Which one?
- Right there.
Come on.
I just can't make the cut.
- Sure you can, boy.
I don't know enough.
- Yes, you do.
I've seen those books you carry
around cos you want to be a doctor.
If you want to save lives, this
is it. We don't have much time.
Maybe you don't have the benefit of
no sacred oath or no fancy diplomas
but right now you are a doctor and
you're gonna take his leg off now!
Alright, Bracken, release the clamp.
Release the clamp, Bracken.
You foul this up in
and I'll kill you.
Sergeant, you just squeeze that hand
real slow, just like I told you.
And don't you stop, no matter what,
until I tell you to. Alright?
Wipe my head, please.
Cotton, get that big knife ready.
Alright, lift this leg up.
Come on, lift this leg up.
(SCREAMS)
I can't give him any more morphine,
he's loaded up enough now.
Try forcing some of that wine
down his throat.
Hill boy...
...play The Saints.
He wants my record.
- Play it, buddy.
Go get it. Get it back here fast,
we need all the help we can get.
And play it loud.
When will they get through in there?
You see anything?
- No, I can't see more than the fog.
But I have the feeling
they are coming again.
They are always coming again. Do you
know how many Chinese there are?
About 650 million.
That they know about. And I got
the feeling they are all draft age.
# "The Saints"
There you are.
- Cotton, come on.
(SCREAMS)
Sponge.
Get another one.
Come on.
Needle and thread, Cotton.
Keep that fist pumping.
Hand me the battle dressing, Cotton.
Move over here and help me.
Hold that.
Turn that record player off.
Thank God.
Maya, get a blanket over there in
the corner and cover him up, please.
Man, if my appendix ever kicks up
again, I'll look you up.
Outside, Cotton. Back to
your station and stay alert, boy.
OK.
You relieve Jackson at the outpost.
And watch out for that heavy
equipment, they'll be pushing it up.
How's Kincaid?
There's a line of tanks
moving up out there.
How close?
- Five minutes away.
String's really run out on us.
Get everybody ready to move out
and send Wade in here.
Towler.
Are you alright?
Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks.
Get Kincaid ready to move.
If we move him very far
it'll kill him.
I know, but Bracken spotted
a line of their tanks moving up.
They're gonna bust this house open.
- What are we gonna do?
I got a piece
of high ground picked out
and we might be able to hold out
there. Can he stay alive that long?
He's alright now, he's loaded up
with wine and morphine.
Grab the family, head out
the back gate and keep moving.
Right. Are you OK?
- I've felt better.
Torgil and Crane have the points.
Take over back here and keep moving.
I'm depending on you.
OK, sergeant.
They'll take you up the pass,
you'll be safe there.
When will you come?
I'll be along.
I'm gonna watch the approach.
I don't want them catching you.
I understand.
I want to see you again.
(EXPLOSION)
They are coming for
one last big push.
You had better get out of here
while you still got time.
- I am not leaving you here, Tiger.
I've got an investment in you.
Some of my best blood
is running through your veins.
I don't want nothin'
to happen to it.
(INCOMING SHELL)
(EXPLOSION)
Sure look good.
- We're not alone any more.
The battalion should be
right behind them.
# When the Saints
# Go marching on...
Merry Christmas, Tiger.
- Same to you,
Sergeant.