Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
115 of 119 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A moving, thoroughly absorbing film, June 3, 2005
"Saints and Soldiers" is a gripping account of four soldiers who escape the brutal Malmedy Massacre in December, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge. They are behind enemy lines, sleepless, hungry, and just trying to survive, when they find a downed British flight sergeant, whose mission is to reach allied troops with important coded information, so together they make the arduous and dangerous journey with that end in mind.
The plot is a compilation of true stories, and even the one that seems improbable, the meeting of the American and German soldiers who were friends before the war, was taken from a real event.
This film puts a human face on the horror of war. We get to know these men, their fears and their bravery, and they are characters who stay with you long after the film is over. Made on a tiny budget of under $ 1,000,000 in less than a month, with a cast of unknown actors, this film has won numerous awards, and deservedly so. Shot on location in Utah, which substitutes for the Ardennes forest, director Ryan Little was also the cinematographer, and has done a superb job with both tasks.
The "extras" used in the massacre scene were "re-enactors," who came from all over the country at their own expense to take part in this film, and memorialize this little known part of WWII history, and it is an amazing opening sequence that sets the mood for the film. Also enhancing the atmosphere is the subtle, lovely soundtrack by J. Bateman and Bart Henderson.
The ensemble cast is excellent, with the most memorable character being "Deacon," played with depth and emotion by Corbin Allred, who captures the innocence of the part. The other marvelous performances are by Alexander Niver Polinsky as Gould, Kirby Heyborne as Flight Sergeant Winley, Lawrence Bagby as Kendrick, Peter Asle Holden as Gunderson, and Ethan Vincent as Rudi.
The DVD extras are fascinating, and give us a glimpse into how this film was ingeniously made on so little money. The director and producers were exceedingly resourceful, and are interviewed in "The Making of Saints and Soldiers," as well as the writers of the terrific script, Geoffrey Panos and Matt Whittaker. Watching the film with their commentary is also interesting and adds to the appreciation of what they call "The little film that could."
This is a beautiful, intimate war film, a small gem not to be missed. Total running time is 90 minutes.
|
|
|
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
worthy of adding to your library, March 23, 2005
I saw this film on the big screen and was amazed at the filmmaker's ability to put you right into the action as rapidly and seamlessly as he did. Yes, it is a small film, no, there are no "Bridge Too Far" explosions and "Pearl Harbor" love scenes, but it is a tightly scripted study of the intimacies of prolonged duress on a small band of men, who at times are not pulling all in the same direction. Very poignant and very classy. Like a great classic film instead of the noisy, violent bloodfests that pass for war films now. As a former military wife, I know of many men like those portrayed here, some profane, some somber, many with values different than mine, but certainly all were honorable men who put their lives on hold and in harm's way and this film honors them. And the soundtrack is one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces of work you will ever hear.
|
|
|
85 of 97 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
War and forgiveness, April 4, 2005
My 18 year old son and I just got back from watching "Saints and Soldiers," a PG-13 film set during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. While this film has many of the qualities of a classic war film, I doubt that it will ever be a blockbuster, mainly because it's too "Christian."
While a bunch of American prisoners of war are gunned down by the Germans during an escape attempt, a few manage to get away. One of them has the nickname "Deacon," because he doesn't swear or drink (including coffee) and he reads his Bible a lot.
As this ragtag group attempts to sneak back to the front while behind enemy lines, you learn bits and pieces about the backgrounds of these GIs, and the one smug British pilot who parachuted to safety near where they were hiding. Although "Deke" is suffering from battle fatigue, as well as guilt for accidentally killing a family, he manages to share some of his story with the atheist medic.
I don't want to give away any more of the story. The film deserves the PG-13 rating for the blood and war violence (in a previous decade it might've earned an R rating for these, but not these days).
We learn that "Deacon" had been a missionary to Germany before the war, but we are never told specifically that he's a Christian, much less what denomination (or tradition). But as the story develops, there is no doubt that we're talking about Christian values of forgiveness.
This is definitely a film for the guys, especially war buffs. The downside of taking an 18 year old war buff to this show was listening to his detailed critique about the inaccuracy of the weapons used in the film, as well as some of the uniform patches. But despite that, my son enjoyed the film and is planning to recommend it to his friends.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
DVD ~ Rick Schroder
DVD ~ Dominique Horwitz
DVD ~ Samy Naceri
DVD ~ Bruno Ganz
DVD ~ Christopher Gorham
