Savior

I suspect that for most Western Europeans and Americans the name 'Bosnia' is now no longer simply the name of a country, but also carries a subliminal implication of atrocity and ethnic viciousness. I doubt, then, that many people would approach this film with any false expectations of what it will contain.

That said, viewers should not come to this film for a political explanation of why and how the war happened - for that, it's probably best to read a few books. This film does attempt to give a human explanation of how and why wars like this one happen and continue to happen, though.

Inevitably, some have accused Savior of bias; though an American film, the director is a Serb, and it was filmed on location in Montenegro; with such emotive subject matter partiality would hardly be surprising. Indeed, the film does not flinch from discussing atrocities committed by Bosnian Muslims. Those who accuse this film of being pro-Serb, however, should consider that one of the most hateful caracters in the whole film, whom we witness carrying out pointlessly vicious acts of cruelty and mysogyny, and who happily admits to being a serial rapist, is himself a Serb.

Viewers should instead look to the human heart of this film. Dennis Quaid gives us a superb performance, rendering a character of some complexity (look at his expression when one character tells him 'You are a good man'). He is ably matched by Natasja Nincovic's complicated, battered portrayal of a Serb woman - and not merely a 'rape victim' stereotype that we know from other films.

There is a religious subtext for those who like looking for such things - plenty of Christ imagery, chiming nicely with the title. There is a special irony in the cross Joshua carries; apparently a Catholic, he has come to Bosnia specifically to kill Muslims in revenge for the loss of his family in a terrorist bombing - yet by joining the Serbs he is also aligned against the Catholic Croats. Perhaps this says something about the self-destructive nature of his revenge, and about his own internal conflict. This is a film about a man divided against himself, in a country divided against itself.

It is particularly effective that the main character in this film is an American. We are tempted to comfortably see him as 'one of us', a decent man in the midst of a barbaric war - but we are not allowed such passive comforts. Eaten by revenge and pain, little seperates Joshua from his barbaric 'sidekick' Goran, whose mindless cruelty he meets with contempt but also inaction. His own conduct is difficult to stomach, but nonetheless presented as the actions of a human, not a monster.

What Antonijevic's film does, then, is look at the line between those who have, and those who have not, become indifferent to the suffering of others - it is in this way that the perpetuation of war is explored. There are no politics, no discussion of religion, or of 'age old ethnic hatreds'. The focus of this strong film is the simple human cost both in lives extinguished and lives mutilated by war. Indeed, for those not very familiar with the details of the war in Bosnia, the practical anonymity of the different soldiers throughout the film will heighten the sense of War as something soldiers do to Civilians.

People who respect and appreciate this film should steer clear of the recent Behind Enemy Lines however - it reuses fragments of the Lake scene in Savior to simplistically anti-Serb effect, completely bastardising the intent of the people who originally created those images.

Nonetheless, despite what has been done to it Savior remains beautifully acted, tragic, mature film-making.

I was stumped at the video store - had basically narrowed the DVD search down to 2 - Sphere (yeah, I know..) and Savior, this interesting looking title on the bottom shelf.

Thank goodness I chose this one.

What a brilliant, gut-wrenching, agonising movie...

Other comments have said it was a low budget job, but the DVD version I just saw didn't even make you think about the mechanics of the movie - just the characters and events that this film portrayed.

The cinematics - beautiful scenery etc (to show that man really has no sense at all - he can be surrounded by some of the most amazingly beautiful surroundings and still turn the place to hell) and sound (the gunshots / ambient stuff etc were very well done) were all spot on..

For the actual plot, the other comments posted are a lot more lucid than mine, so I won't bother trying to explain the premise of this flick.

I really don't know what else to say - some of the scenes containing brutality were brilliant (in a really horrible way) - none of the usual hollywood (tm) bad guy finally gets it in the end type stuff - cliche - it really just showed how pointless these kinds of conflicts are. cliche

Oh man - this film is going to stick with me for quite some time. And I kind of wish it didn't. I was after a throw away movie (should have rented sphere) and instead got this thing that I just cannot stop thinking about.

Dennis Quaid was amazing in it, and the rest of the cast were excellent, too.

And yes, I cryed like baby Vera..

PS: I actually registered just so I could vote & comment on this movie..

Since I'm fed up with most of the movies that are presented today(mostly Hollywood trash) I really got caught on how raw and unique this movie was. A true and very scary movie showing the tragedies of the Balkan war, in a very realistic and surprising way. Not only having a different style to the movie, but also making it so realistic made me impressed. As I said, a very dark movie, but a true masterpiece.

At first on hearing Dennis Quaid I thought this would be usual "Hollywood Hero saves the world" offering from the Hollywood Studios. How wrong I was,Dennis Quaid gives a stunning performance of a good man struggling to understand a world of brutality and inhumanity. Against all odds he does what he thinks his right and realizes the baby represents the only hope he and the human race have? There will probably be critics from those who were involved the conflict who will say this is an inaccurate "Hollywood Version" of events.This may or may not be true, but what Quaid has done here is made a bridge from the world depicted here and the rest of the world not involved in the conflict, enabling us to understand it more.

This film is not mainstream enough to have become a blockbuster,with lots of honours, but I would like to think Quaid and Kinski will remain justifiably proud of their involvement in this film for all time.

I watched this movie with skepticism but I have to admit I was wrong. This is a powerful movie and it left me drained out by the time it got over. The last 15 to 20 minutes are sure to move even the cold hearted so,I am surprised and saddened that there are still some folks here at the forum fighting over its anti/pro Muslim/Serbian credentials.

There is no winner in any war - only despair & death and at times, a faint glimmer of hope. Saviour depicts this with astonishing realism and at times,is difficult to watch but I guess that what war is all about. Dennis Quaid gives an Oscar winning performance and considering, the fact that Oliver Stone produced this, it has a antiwar platoonesque feel to it.