Not perfect, but better than most new war films

Rating: 8/10 (12 October 2005)

People seem fairly strongly divided on this movie. The biggest complaint seems to be that the soldiers don't use enough profanity. But that strikes me as a distraction... like saying we should see portrayals of a person's every bodily function. Is it necessary or even desirable? After all even the most "realistic" film is still not reality, but a representation thereof. As for violence, "Saints and Soldiers" is definitely not for kids but neither is it the exhibitionist gore found in many war flicks that makes them unwatchable. The weak spot is in the plot which seems unnecessarily melodramatic and fantastic in parts. The role of the English pilot could have been done away with and left plenty of believable action. On the other hand, the story is engaging and suspenseful and the characters (despite, or perhaps because of, the "no name" actors) are very strong -- distinct, believable and interesting. Other war films could learn from this as "Saints and Soldiers" takes a step in the right direction, back to classics like Twelve O'Clock High or Pork Chop Hill, by being realistic without being simply gross. Some people also complained about the "Mormon proselytizing." I'm a practicing Catholic, and I didn't find it a problem. More like a depiction of how a Mormon soldier might have behaved in World War II. After all, one has to put up with movies with plenty of atheist proselytizing, so get over it....