Product Details

• Actors: Robert Mitchum, Ann Blyth, William Talman, Charles McGraw, Margaret Sheridan
• Directors: Tay Garnett
• Writers: Andrew Solt, Milton Krims, William Wister Haines
• Producers: Edmund Grainger
• Format: NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: July 18, 1990
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301278461
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,286 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic Story Of Both War & Love, August 1, 2004

By 

R. G Seikel (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Minute to Zero [VHS] (VHS Tape)

As a retired Army officer, I can honestly say that this is one of the best renditions of war, while also covering our continued lack of preparation for sudden conflict. I can also relate to the waiting wives, their losses and love for the spouse who must leave to fight. The Korean War was sudden. Robert Mitchum and William Talman (DA off old Perry Mason) with Ann Blyth provide powerful performances. Very factual of how the few military personnel in Korea at the time, fought for "time" till more help could come. A lot of actual war footage included. The scene of being forced to take action on the refugees is just part of the harsh but required reality of this excellent film. This is based on a true story, KOREA!!!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Robert Mitchum sings in Japanese. Need I say more?!?, January 9, 2006

By 

Dave (Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Minute to Zero [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The movie begins in Korea, 1950, right before the war begins. Col. Steve Janowski (Robert Mitchum), Col. Joe Parker (William Talman), and Sgt. Baker (Charles McGraw) are well aware of the inevitable war, but can do little to prepare for the coming North Korean invasion. Mrs. Landa Day (Ann Blyth), a war widow and dedicated UN official, refuses to believe that war is about to begin, and soon after meeting Col. Janowski their views on war cause an argument. War breaks out just as Janowski had predicted, and he is ordered to evacuate all U.S. civilians, including Landa. Landa refuses to leave and is forcibly carried by Janowski and put on the last plane leaving. Yeah, their relationship is off to a rocky start, but by now you already know that they are very much attracted to one another, in spite of their almost constant bickering.

Col. Janowski, Col. Parker, and Sgt. Baker gather all the U.S. troops they can and organize a defense against the North Korean advance, trying to slow them down until reinforcements can arrive. This is the way they fight constantly for the next few weeks, barely holding their own against overwhelming odds. During an ambush by the North Koreans, he is wounded and sent to a hospital to recover. Landa Day shows up and visits him, and as Janowski recovers his health he spends more and more time with her. Before you know it, they're talking about marriage! Janowski's superiors take notice of his brave leadership in combat and he is soon promoted to general. With his loyal friend Sgt. Baker by his side at all times, and with his close friend Col. Parker organizing the air force support for Janowski and his men, Gen. Janowski tries his best to slow the North Koreans' advance.

"One Minute to Zero" certainly has its share of clichés, but overall it's a very entertaining war film with an exceptional cast. It makes frequent but great use of actual footage, and has some truly memorable moments, like when Janowski is forced to order an artillery barrage on a huge crowd of South Korean refugees that has armed North Korean infiltrators mixed in with the civilians. Very few war movies back then showed this side of war, where innocent civilians found themselves targets of both armies. Ann Blyth and Robert Mitchum were great together, but the scene where he sings to her in Japanese was a little too much to take! Anyway, Charles McGraw and William Talman were equally great in supporting roles. Unfortunately a forgotten movie of the forgotten Korean War, "One Minute to Zero" is definitely an underated gem worth searching for. Hopefully, a DVD release is not too far away. Highly recommended for war movie fans.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 1950 Time Capsule, September 2, 2008

By 

William Maudlin (Magna, UT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Minute to Zero [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This seems to be an honest effort to depict what happened in the early stages of the Korean War. It depicts the warfare taking place from the first days until the Inchon Landing had successfully taken place (October 1950).

The film was made in the throes of the war and could only look forward with faith and optimism to a positive outcome. Portrayed are the attempts to train the South Korean troops in modern warfare, the arrival of the Royal Australian Airforce to assist the efforts of the Americans and South Koreans, the arrival of British Army troops, the use, by the North Koreans of Russian tanks, and aircraft, and the talk of the North Koreans being directed from Moscow.

Diverse military actions are shown from the method of disabling a tank at the outset, to dealing with guerrilla warfare, combined land and air actions, disrupting of enemy supply lines etc, along with a frank look at the suffering and hell of war itself.

This film does use actual footage from the War and it is skilfully and seamlessly woven into the fabric of the film. It is a memorial of the times, a veritable time capsule from 1950. It also indicates strongly that a substantial portion of the Hollywood crowd were certainly not Communist sympathisers.