Festival Winner Is Exceptional!

Rating: 10/10 (6 August 2004)

FOR more then a year I have waited to see Ryan Little's SAINTS & SOLDIERS. Back in the fall of 2002, KSL-TV did a featurette on Mormon filmmakers and showed location scenes being shot in Alpine, Utah of a film with a World War II setting. It seemed like an ambitious undertaking for a low budget filmmaker. As time went on and the film was completed, word came out that the film was very good. Instead of bring it immediately to local theatres, Excel (the distributor for the film), began showing it at film festivals all over the place -- and it hit home with film fans, winning numerous awards.
When the film opened its theatrical run here in Utah. I have had the opportunity to see the film for myself and can say that it is EXCEPTIONAL!
Uncle Sam invited me to join them for 2 years back in the early 1960's. I was glad to serve my country and was even more grateful that I did not have to actually fight in a shooting war. Going through basic training and later, holding my breath as the Cuban missile crises came and went, I wonder what I would do if called upon to fire with intent to kill. I'm glad that I was not put to that kind of test.
As I experienced SAINTS & SOLDIERS, watching a young soldier of faith, who had previously served his church as a missionary in Berlin, face the reality of killing those whom he had come to love and respect, it touched my heart in a way no other war film has ever done. The film is very well acted, tense, moving and thought provoking. In short, this is a film that I will strongly recommend, will return again to see in the theatre, and will certainly purchase when released on DVD.
Congratulations to all involved!