Saints and Soldiers

Friday night, I watched a movie with some friends called Saints and Soldiers. Maybe some of you have seen it. Its from the director of Forever Strong if you have ever seen that. I haven't, but I heard its good. It follows five soldiers in the middle of World War II, four Amercians and one Brit, as they attempt to escape enemy lines after the malmedy massacre. The audience watches as the soldiers fight off the enemy, the weather, and the hopelessness constantly staring them in the face.

When a friend told me about this movie, I became intrigued that it is an independent war drama. That was the driving force that made me watch it. I knew it wasn't going to be the same as other war films and this was definitely true. There weren't ginormous action scenes through out the entire movie or a lame plot that was under-developed. It had a budget of $780,000 but it accomplishes just as much as a movie like Saving Private Ryan which had a budget of $70,000,000. This movie is a really good example of how much can be achieved in a production, even if that production is small.

Theres some great shots, good dialogue, several great characters, and great performances. The film really keeps the audience involved because it has some entertaining characters as well as some complex characters that one slowly learns more about. The movie also brings in different views on faith, fighting for country, and what it means to be the enemy. For these reasons, I would suggest this movie if you are really into war films or if you are not. If you do like war films, this is a way of doing one that is not as common and for that reason worth watching. If you don't care for war films, this is not much like other war movies and it may be worth the stretch out of your usual choices of films.