"Saints and Soldiers" offers a great mix of war and brotherhood. Fans of war films like "Platoon" and "Saving Private Ryan" should include "Saints and Soldiers" in their repertoire.
The movie, which was very successful at several of the major film festivals across the country, features both the combat of war and a strong connection to the people fighting in war.
Based on true events, "Saints and Soldiers" follows a group of soldiers who survived the Malmedy massacre. While traveling though the Ardennes forest in Belgium, German troops take the battalion of American soldiers captive. The Germans open fire on the unarmed soldiers. However, Cpl. Nathan "Deacon" Greer (Corbin Allred), Pvt. Gordon Gunderson (Peter Holden), Maj. Steven Gould (Alexander Niver) and Pvt. Shirl Kendrick (Lawrence Bagby) manage to escape into the woods.
The story gets more interesting when the four encounter a British intelligence officer, Flight Sgt. Oberon Winley (Kirby Heyborne). He enlists their help to get to Allied territory to deliver important information that can save thousands of American lives. However, in order to accomplish this mission, they must avoid capture on German soil.
The connection that forms within this group is what really makes the film stand out. They share personal information to each other under the most dire of conditions. The relationship between Kendrick and Winley starts out rocky. As the story progresses, it becomes very much like a genuine relationship. That can be interpreted as a symbol of American and British forces coming together.
Allred's performance as Deacon is the best throughout the movie. The character is very fascinating. He's a soldier, and he doesn't smoke or drink alcohol. He doesn't even drink coffee; he prefers lemonade. In addition, he has a Bible with him at all times. As the movie progresses, the audience discovers that there is more to his character. On a mission, Deacon makes a mistake that causes him to hallucinate, which threatens the mission. If that wasn't enough, his knowledge of the German language makes Gould suspect him of being a German sympathizer.
The conflict between Deacon and Gould is also strong. They seem to be complete opposites; Deacon believes in God and also that Germans are the same as the Americans, except for their uniforms. Gould, on the other hand, doesn't have any faith in God and very much wants to destroy the Germans.
Visually, the film is a mixture of purity and chaos. This is shown by the snow that is present throughout the movie, but there are also scenes of soldiers firing guns and men being killed.
As a whole, this film falls well into the category of war films. It has man versus self, man versus man and man versus nature. The cast is excellent, despite their relatively unknown status. The combat scenes are effective due to the use of sound, which definitely gave them power. But the bond between the soldiers is the most significant element of the film.
