Saints and Soldiers (2003)

An extremely well done movie. If you understand that it is loosely based on historical facts then you won't get all hung up on the few inaccuracies. For example, one reviewer objected to the medic carrying a rifle, but in real life medics were known to carry weapons, especially considering the scene where an ambulance crew was killed in the no holds barred German offensive. Medics aren't issued rifles, but are allowed to protect themselves and the wounded. The characters are appealing and their actions/dialog realistic. I was thoroughly entertained even though there were times that the movie was very sad. However, in the end, their goal was achieved and the movie had a nice ending. The only part that bothered me was the way the movie showed the massacre taking place. It showed the shooting starting by accident, when history has pretty much proved that the German unit commander ordered the execution of the American troops because he wouldn't allow his unit to be slowed by POWs. It seems like this war crime was softened to make it more PC. Also of note, if you believe Deacon to be LDS, understand that many missionaries who served in peacetime Germany did pick up fluent German and served in the US army.

I love this take on a war story. I like explosions and action as much as the next guy, but it was refreshing to get a look at soldiers when they aren't running away from exploding tanks in slow motion. The relationships between the characters were not only well-acted, but also realistic. This film also did a great job of showing, in the very few actual confrontations, that war is between humans who all think they're right, not denizens of pure good and pure evil fighting to eliminate the other. I also liked the subtle details that showed that the director paid attention SPOILER(at first I agreed with my friend that it was unrealistic for the medic to use a gun, but then I realized that he missed every shot, like a real person who had never fired a gun in war would have). If you're really into weapons and war history, you'll notice inaccuracies with the props and such, and it sometimes got hard to keep track of who was who. Another thing I didn't like is the sound balance. It was very hard to hear the characters at some points, especially crucial lines that, if missed, make the viewer wonder what their reasoning was for a certain action. All in all, this is an excellent movie about "human-ness" in war and a refreshing take on the war movie genre, but it does have its flaws.

I thought this film was very good. What I particularly liked was that this is almost the very first film I have seen where the weapons for each side were accurate. Not M-60 tanks dressed up as Panzers etc. They even had one German soldier with a StG44. Half tracks were correct on the respective sides too. My only minor gripe was that although the guy who played the British Pilot put in a great performance, why didn't they use a real Englishman? The acting was excellent. I saw it for the first time on Neflix. If you are a WW2 buff you will like this film. I'm surprised I never heard of it....maybe I'm not as up on films as I thought!

Having not read the book, I will say that this movie was very good. True, it wasn't as good as Band of Brothers, but still superb. One thing I loved was that the entire movie went without one F word. I disagree with the reviewer who said it had Mormon overtones. Not one thing in the movie mentioned any religion, so I don't understand why he/she thought that it did. One character served a mission and taught a family. Many religions send missionaries abroad to teach. He's also seen reading scriptures. Many people do. And, if I was ever in a war and behind enemy lines, I'd sure be doing some praying myself. Great film. I wish more script writers would find other adjectives than the F word.