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

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.

A very rewarding payoff comes to those willing to slog through the cold winter of 1944 with these soldiers. Like any march in the military, there's some "hurry up and wait" moments that tend to slow the plot down a little bit. And the "character" scenes aren't as professionally rendered as perhaps they could have been. Quibbles, though, because the story reaches a generally unexpected and very emotional payoff, and the trek is more than worthwhile. Film should play well on DVD, given decent but not spectacular use of big screen. Utah stands in pretty well for the Ardennes, but that winter was Europe's worst in 50 years and the dry cold of the US West doesn't really seem to convey the real misery the climate brought to the GIs. Acting generally strong all around with the squad leader, a kind of heavier Jeff Daniels type, particularly good and really evocative of a GI sixty years ago. Fine, moving film.

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.

Every once in a while a little movie will come along totally unheralded, unexpected, under budget, under promoted, but which really shouldn't be missed.

Saints and Soldiers is such a movie. If you like lots of big budget special effect -loud explosions, -crashing airplanes, -panoramic scenes with thousands of extras slogging through the mud, -if that's what you want in a war movie, skip this one. It doesn't have any of those things.

What it does have, however, is a very effective ensemble cast telling a very compelling story, -a true story, of the Battle of the Bulge. From the utter confusion and tragic consequences of the "Malmedy Masacre", depicted in this movie as more an accident of the fog of war rather than a cold calculated act, to the final climactic battle scenes, this movie shows world war II as it most likely really was. A very personal war for each soldier involved.

My uncle was a soldier who lost a leg in Europe during that time and as he related experiences of battle, he always made it perfectly clear that war was always a very personal thing. You were doing everything to survive. Your enemy was doing the same thing, and somehow battles were eventually won or lost. The average G.I. didn't know, or much care what was going on over the hill, or on a grand scale. He only knew he and a few of his buddies were being shot at by a few of the enemy and they had to shoot back or perish. It's all about living another day.

This movie conveys those sentiments very clearly. It is about daily survival without the grandiose trappings. You really wind up caring about each of these characters. It is well worth seeing. Especially if you were a soldier -or know a soldier, -or just want to know more about being a soldier. In my opinion it will go down in history as one of the more realistic war movies ever made.