Saints and Soldiers: The Void

There is always some controversies, when it comes to low budget and Indie films, about the right way to rate them in comparison with regular productions. Somebody feels that since you must judge the overall result, if it is manifestly lower than a similar film made by some Major, you have to state it. Plain and simple.

Some others think that since it's obvious that they cannot meet bigger productions standards, you have to appreciate the good things they show (if any) and be happy with it. I don't know where to stand but I'm more inclined towards this second party, at least for the present movie.

I found this film entertaining and even if they had just four tanks, two trucks, one house and one tent, they had very good dialogues and did an overall good job. All the gear looked stunningly brand new and this may be the way things looked back in 1944, I don't know, surely it appeared to be a precise artistic choice which I won't judge.

If you would compare it to a major production its correct rate would be 4. If you ask yourself what would anybody be able to do with the same stuff, then I think it deserves an 8.

I liked the previous Saints and Soldiers movies. As long as the combat is realistic and the plot good I am not to worried about special effects. This movie was one long sermon on how racist Whites are. I can understand introducing the idea but devoting an entire film to the concept got old really quickly. Every time you thought the plot was going to get going in came yet another sermon. I managed to watch the whole movie but barely. If I want to be preached at I'll go to church not watch a war movie. I do not care much about people's skin color and I think every living American is abundantly aware of the prejudice in America prior to the 60s. No need to go on and on about it until you start rooting for the Germans just to shut the guy up.

This film essentially begins on the closing days of World War 2 in Europe with an American tank company liberating a POW camp deep inside Germany. Naturally, needing to evacuate the POWs back to the rear, several trucks are sent to transport them while at the same time two tank destroyers are ordered to clear out a company of German soldiers who have dug in at a small town not too far away. Yet even though the trucks are sent in the opposite direction, two of them are forced to take a detour and because of that they run right into a German ambush which kills everyone except the driver of one of the trucks named "Jesse Owens" (K. Danor Gerald) and a British POW by the name of "Lieutenant Goss" (Ben Urie). Luckily, they not only manage to escape from the Germans, but they also just happen to meet up with the two tank destroyers and warn them of the ambush as well. To that effect, figuring that they have the edge because they have two tank destroyers and the element of surprise on their side, the decision is made to attack the German ambush site immediately instead of waiting for infantry support. What they fail to realize, however, is that the German tanks are commanded by an extremely skilled panzer officer and that whatever advantage the Americans think they have is negligible at best. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this movie started off really well, but it seemed to transition somewhere along the way into a lecture about the need for better race relations instead. And while I admire the thought behind it all, I must say that this underlying message seemed a bit too obvious at times and the film suffered as a result. That being said, I have rated this movie accordingly. Average.

This movie, while not horrible, is obviously low budget. That said, the Saints and Soldiers series do an admirable job of creating realism with excellent props, especially when considering the low budget. The acting, for the most part is campy, preachy, and over the top. A few of the guys do fine jobs, but most could be much better.

But let's be honest, where this movie shines is in getting to watch two beautifully preserved M18 Hellcats and a Pz.III in action. Which brings up one minor gripe; In WWII, armored vehicles were nearly unrecognizable due to the amount of crap they had on them. From backpacks, to wooden ammo and ration crates, to tarps, to sandbag and log armor, etc. These vehicles looked like they just rumbled off the showroom floor.

But all in all, I gave it a 7. For WWII armor buffs, you won't find a better movie out there that features Buick's beautiful tank destroyer, which was well loved by it's crews. For those who like fast, light US armor, also check out The Bridge at Remagen, for some incredibly fun M24 Chaffee action.

For a viewer with interests in WW2 and it's weaponry, this movie was not too bad. For anyone looking for another Saving Private Ryan, look elsewhere.

Both of the S and S movies have been fairly decent. The first was more dialog than action and this one leaned more toward the action. At least until it became kind of preachy about racial harmony, etc... The part I liked best about this series is the accuracy of the era the creators have, well, created. All of the vehicles and weapons are period accurate. They did a great job with the props. The 'cats' (how many times did the actors say Hellcat in this movie?) were awesome and the fact that they seemed to have gotten an early model Panzer Type 3 is really cool. What I did not like was when the movie became a lesson for potential WW2 hobbyists. All the talk about the M18 caliber and ammo types got a little bit educational when people just want to see it shoot. Also, the panzerfaust would easily cut through the armor of a Panzer 3 from pretty much any angle. So, for a movie that seems to pride themselves on accurate depictions that wars weaponry, the shot with the panzerfaust was a bit of a stretch. Still, I am a huge WW2 buff and gave the movie a 7.