Saints and Soldiers

This is a very simple story, told in a very simple way.A group of soldiers escape capture and fight their way to rejoin friendly forces. Nothing new or unusual there. However Ryan Little has managed to tell this simple story with a great sense of compassion and feeling. So much so that at times I had to remind myself that this was a story of war. Little manages to do what many others have failed in the modern war movie, let the story take preference over special effects and shock tactics.

The largely unheralded cast turn in steady, rather than spectacular, performances. Yet they work well within the over all feel of the movie, showing that war is fought by, in the most part, ordinary people under extraordinary circumstances. At times the pace was a little labored, particularly at the farmhouse. The relationship with the mother and child seemed to develop too quickly, somehow become pivotal almost instantly. This aside, character development occurs at a natural and easy pace. All these men are people we will meet in our own lives, bringing the story even closer to the audience.

This is one of the most satisfying war movies that I have seen for a long while. Without the big budgets and extreme violence, this little gem delivers a fantastic reward for those who take the time to watch.

8.5/10

The award-winning "Saints and Soldiers" results to be a nice Wartime movie about a group of escaped American soldiers behind enemy lines and one of them has information enough that could save thousands of allied lives . Apart from the values of team spirit , cudgeled by the protagonists into his unfortunate team , the film is full of feats , suspense , battles and thrills . And set after D-Day , the 6th of June 1944 , when Western allied forces landed in Nazi-occupied France on a quest to liberate Europe by executing an enormous launch an all-out assault . Based on real events about the Malmedy massacre , it was a war crime committed by members of Kampfgruppe Peiper (part of the SS Division Leibstandarte), a German Waffen-SS unit led by Joachim Peiper, at Baugnez crossroads near Malmedy, Belgium, on 17 December 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge. Eighty-four American prisoners of war were massacred by their German captors . The prisoners were assembled in a field and shot with machine guns ; those still alive were killed by close-range shots to the head. The term Malmedy massacre also applies generally to the series of massacres committed by the same unit on the same day and following days, which were the subject of the Malmedy massacre trial, part of the Dachau Trials of 1946 . There is a time for heroes .Nothing's ever easy . Victory is the only option . Trapped behind enemy lines. All they have is their hope.

This is a competently conceived WWII with action filled , brief studio character , drama and moving fights . Action-filled movie set at end WWII , it follows the reckless adventures of five valiant soldiers , some courageous men who ran way from a Nazi slaughter during WWII in France . Based on actual WWII events, tells the dramatic story of a small band of Allied soldiers trapped behind enemy lines in mid-December 1944, when Hitler's Army charges through the Ardennes Forest in Belgium, initiating the offensive that will come to be known as the Battle of the Bulge . Medium budget European war film that packs frantic thrills , perilous as well as relentless feats , and buck-loads of explosive action and violence . The noisy action is uniformly well-made , especially deserving of mention the rip-roaring final scenes in which the motley group is really besieged , including some spectacular shootouts and pursuits when the Jeep is mercilessly chased by Nazis . This is a war movie in which predominates the stories and situations of the protagonists on the war itself made , so although there are moments of action and struggle there are also thought-provoking events. The picture is pretty well with actors giving acceptable acting , but being marred by an unknown cast as Corbin Allred ,Alexander Polinsky, Kirby Heyborne, Peter Holden , and Ethan Vincent . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Ryan Little . Ryan was presented with a Student Emmy at the 1999 Academy of Television Arts & Science College Television Awards, for "Best Dramatic Film": The Last Good War . Little has directed a few but decent movies such as ¨Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy¨ , ¨House of fears¨ , ¨Forever strong¨, ¨Age of the dragons¨ and ¨"Saints and Soldiers : Airbone creed" that is the sequel to the award-winning ¨Saints and soldiers¨ and the third part titled ¨Saints and soldiers : the void¨ .

The actual deeds are the following ones : Hitler's main objective for the Battle of the Bulge was for the 6th SS Panzer Army commanded by SS General Sepp Dietrich to break through the Allied front between Monschau and Losheimergraben, cross the Meuse River, and capture Antwerp.Kampfgruppe Peiper, named after and under the command of SS-Obersturmbannführer Joachim Peiper, was composed of armoured and motorised elements and was the spearhead of the left wing of the 6th SS Panzer Army. Once the infantry had breached the American lines, Peiper's role was to advance via Ligneuville, Stavelot, Trois-Ponts, and Werbomont and seize and secure the Meuse bridges around Huy.The best roads were reserved for the bulk of the SS Division Leibstandarte. Peiper was to use secondary roads, but these proved unsuitable for heavy armoured vehicles, especially the Tiger II tanks attached to the Kampfgruppen. The success of the operation depended on the swift capture of the bridges over the Meuse. This required a rapid advance through US positions, circumventing any points of resistance whenever possible. Another factor Peiper had to consider was the shortage of fuel.Hitler ordered the battle to be carried out with a brutality more common on the Eastern Front, in order to frighten the enemy.Sepp Dietrich confirmed this during the war crimes trial after the war ended. According to one source, during the briefings before the operation, Peiper stated that no quarter was to be granted, no prisoners taken, and no pity shown towards Belgian civilian.Between noon and 1 pm, the German spearhead approached the Baugnez crossroads, two miles south-east of Malmedy. An American convoy of about thirty vehicles, mainly elements of B Battery of the American 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, was negotiating the crossroads and turning right toward Ligneuville and St. Vith, where it had been ordered to join the 7th Armored Division. The spearhead of Peiper's group spotted the American convoy and opened fire, immobilising the first and last vehicles of the column and forcing it to halt. Armed with only rifles and other small arms, the Americans surrendered to the German tank force.The armoured column led by Peiper continued west toward Ligneuville. The German troops left behind assembled the American prisoners in a field along with other prisoners captured earlier in the day. Many of the survivors testified that about 120 troops were standing in the field when, for unknown reasons, the SS troops suddenly opened fire with machine guns on the prisoners.There was a first massacre at Büllingen and later Massacre at Baugnez crossroads . As soon as the SS machine gunners opened fire, the POWs panicked. Some tried to flee, but most were shot where they stood. Some dropped to the ground and pretended to be dead.SS troops walked among the bodies and shot any who appeared to be alive. A few sought shelter in a café at the crossroads. The SS soldiers set fire to the building and shot any who tried to escape.

Many films succeed outside the context of Hollywood hype. This one provides several messages competently executed by new talent, and without the special effects so commonly packaged by Tinseltown. Dialog and talent hold one's attention in a real-world interpretation of the Malmedy massacre and it's aftermath in WW2 Belgium. The tagline, 'A Time For Heroes' says much and it's more than appropriate for our time since the definition of 'hero' has been broadened by current events and uncommon courage. Lighting, sound, location, editing, and inventive writing make this a weekend wonder if you're seeking a story of principled men in desperate circumstances. Not unlike John Sturges' films.

This is an example of how bad films can be when the script, acting & direction are not good. I feel sorry for the camera men, sound editing etc whose work is impressive. When compared to 'Band of Brothers' you can then appreciate the quality of the writing

I really enjoyed the film and it gave a different slant to the Malmedy massacre which took place in 1944. The snow scenes gave the film a great atmosphere. Most of the actors played excellent parts, the plot involving a group of American GIs coming across an English (RAF) pilot. One problem was Kirby Heyborne. If I came across Kirby Heyborne's as "Englishman" during World War II I would be tempted to shoot him as a German spy. His accent is dreadful and certainly not English. At times he was a comic opera Englishman and next an American. Was an English actor, living in the United States, not available to play this important part? It would have made a big difference to the film.