Saints and Soldiers

Plot synopsis:
In 1944, Allied troops have defeated the Germans after the Battle of the Bulge. In Malmedy, Belgium, they find and uncover the frozen bodies of over 70 American soldiers who were held prisoners and killed by their German captors. Three weeks earlier, the prisoners, members of the 101st and 285th division are rounded up and searched by the German troops while medic Steven Gould (Alexander Niver) tries to help a seriously wounded American soldier. One soldier tries to escape, and is shot dead, causing confusion and fear from the prisoners. The Germans open fire on the prisoners, in what is known as the Malmedy massacre, killing many troops as they try to run away. The soldier Gould tried to save is shot dead and Gould manages to escape with Corporal Nathan 'Deacon' Greer (Corbin Allred). Deacon disarms a German but doesn't shoot him, even at Gould's insistence.
Gould and Deacon are joined by two other survivors, Shirl Kendrick (Larry Bagby), a member in Gould's division, and Deacon's close friend Sergeant Gordon Gunderson (Peter Asle Holden). Gunderson explains it would be better to hide out until the Allies retake the area and the four hide out in an abandoned building. When a German patrol comes along, the soldiers hide under the floor. While there Deacon loosely translates a German message about a downed plane in the area. Leaving after the Germans, the Americans find British pilot Flight Sergeant Oberon Winley (Kirby Heyborne).
Winley explains he has important intelligence photographs he has to get back to the Allies and the group decide to try and reach the Allied lines some 20 miles away. While on point, Deacon has a hallucination and breaks down. Gunderson explains that Deacon had inadvertently, when clearing a building during an earlier mission, killed two women and six children recently. Gould begins to criticize Deacon for not shooting the German and for being religious. Deacon offers him his Bible, which Gould refuses. Deacon says that Gould is asking too many questions for someone who is not interested in religion.
Shortly afterwards, Kendrick falls through the roof of an old building that had been covered by the snow. Looking for shelter, Gunderson enters a house and finds a woman and girl who speak French, Catherine and Sophie Theary. A coming snow storm causes Gunderson to surmise that the Germans will be pinned down and immobilized. He suggests staying the night but Winley insists that he must get the information to the Allied troops and leaves during the storm. The others are sure he will die in the cold.
Catherine brings some bread to the soldiers. While with the soldiers, two Germans arrive and Catherine talks to them. One German starts scouting the building while the other attempts to rape Catherine. She yells and Deacon kills one German and misses the other as he runs into the woods. Winley returns with this German as his prisoner. Deacon recognizes the German as Rudolph, a convert during his mission serving as a minister for his Church in Berlin. Deacon understands then why he, who was well known for never failing to hit what he aimed at, missed Rudolph.
In the morning, Deacon has let Rudolph go, after Rudolph had told him where the Germans lines were and how to get through them. With captured weapons they set out but soon encounter a small group of German soldiers. Gunderson is fatally shot by a sniper, whom Deacon then kills. More Germans attack and Winley is hit in the leg. During the firefight the Allied group is split in two. While carrying Winley, Kendrick is shot in the stomach and dies. Winley kills the German and, trying to hobble away, falls into a river. Deacon and Gould find him. While they care for Winley, Rudolph finds them and tells them where there is a jeep, and an escape route they could use with it closer to the Allied lines, then goes off in the direction of the pursuing Germans.
The three remaining Allied soldiers, now dressed as German soldiers, get in the jeep and head toward the German lines. They manage to talk their way past a German guard (as Deacon speaks fluent German) but when they veer towards the American lines the Germans open fire. Speeding toward the safety of the American lines (where observers work out they are Allied soldiers) the jeep is overturned by mortar fire. Deacon gives covering fire as Gould and Winley head for safety. Deacon is killed by a sniper, and before he dies, he sees the spirits of the women and children he killed one last time. Gould and Winley make it through and the important intelligence is passed on to headquarters. Winley is then transported to a medical station because of his injuries.
As Gould sees Deacon's body being carried away, he takes out Deacon's Book of Mormon, places the photo of Deacon's wife into Deacon's hands and keeps the book, which Deacon had offered to him earlier, and wishes him to rest in peace. After this, he looks up and sees a P-51 Mustang fighter flying over, signaling that the weather is improving, and the turning of the tide in the Battle. Gould encounters a now captured Rudolph, nods to him, with Rudolph answering back in kind, and then helps an injured German soldier whom he recognizes from the massacre at the start of the film.

Tags: murder, flashback

Review:
If you like lots of big budget special effect -loud explosions, -crashing airplanes, -panoramic scenes with thousands of extras slogging through the mud, -if that's what you want in a war movie, skip this one.
This movie is worthy of the 14 "Best Picture" awards it has already won...I hope that it gets a bigger national release.I live in the San Diego area and I just took my family to see this film tonight, and I have to say that this is one of the most moving films I have seen.
The "surprise" ending caught me a little off-guard with its VERY poignant and thought provoking message.The characters were well developed and I really felt that i could empathize with each man's approach to the situation they were in.The impact of the movie far exceeded its budget.
I think I was most impressed with the acting of the Medic (The exchange of looks between him and the German prisoner at the end of the movie was classic!).I read a lot of the reviews prior to watching this film, so I had somewhat of a biased opinion about what I might see.
Little manages to do what many others have failed in the modern war movie, let the story take preference over special effects and shock tactics.The largely unheralded cast turn in steady, rather than spectacular, performances.
All these men are people we will meet in our own lives, bringing the story even closer to the audience.This is one of the most satisfying war movies that I have seen for a long while.
The only sign that the film is low budget is its musical score, which at some times is a bit obtruse, but the acting is superb, and the directions is excellent.
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.
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 long 'men on the march' sequences reminded me of Saving Private Ryan, just in winter time and with a worse musical score.In the rest of the world we don't really need more movies about American soldiers in WW2.
I could not or did not connect with any of these country lads or their journey.I don't recommend this movie even if you liked Saving Private Ryan, it also lacks any kind of exciting action or battle scenes that distinguished the latter..
No doubt the true stories that the film is based on are extremely interesting and impressive on their own, but that never makes it into this movie.
Wow. If this wasn't written by Americans who have never been to England, or met a British person, then I would be entirely surprised.I like war movies, I really do, but this was tedious, contrived, clichéd and boring.
If you are addicted to war films then see this, but it is not as good a Saving Private Ryan.If you are British this is in the mould of a Mel Gibson 'make the Britis look bad' type movie..
Its low budget becomes apparent throughout the movie and does not allow to make up the deficits of the story by means of good action.One of it's anchors is hypocritical, religious nonsense.The characters are either stereotypic or totally unrealistic in order to serve the religiously influenced storyline.It is full of errors - related to the movie itself as well as the "real events" it is supposed to be based on.Anyone, who speaks decent German, will hardly be able to stand the horrible language skills of the German figures without bursting into laughter, which isn't quite a desirable mood for a wannabe serious and emotionally moving movie..
First of all, it was an awesome war movie, plenty of action, not too much blood, great story, acting, and plot.
I had a great time and anyone who looks past the fact that it was made by Mormons (which is sad that it must be overlooked by some people) and enjoys the movie, will discover it is awesome and worth seeing again and again..
The American soldiers in the film were in a platoon that could not exist outside the state of Utah.Look at the star ratings given to this film by the reviewers on this site and you'd think this movie ranked up there with Ben-Hur or Gone With The Wind.
Especially egregious in the film was the absurd English accent attempted by actor Kirby Heybone - absolutely the worst foreign accent on film since that Scottish actor tried to pass as a Russian in "Hunt for the Red October." So, despite the seemingly objective, patriotic, mainstream message of this war movie, in reality director Ryan Little's film is more an unconscious homage to the work of Leni Riefenstahl than anything else.
So, let me say that one of our local Christian stations played Saints and Soldiers on Memorial Day. I had my doubts, but it's rare that a highly rated film gets placed on the schedule for midday from this station.
Wow. That doesn't happen very often.For such a low budget film, this is one of the best human interest stories I've ever seen from the World War II perspective.
If high budget motion pictures had just a fraction of the attention to detail and freedom to express real stories that this one has, what an amazing set of movies we'd see on the big screen.I can do nothing other than highly recommend this film.
Four American soldiers, and one Brit struggles behind enemy lines as they must fight, hide and survive to deliver some very secret intelligence that could win them the war.What's so good about this war movie, is that it's "real".
The landscape is really beautiful and sets a special tone for the film.I highly recommend this movie to people who likes a good war movie, but this is also a drama, a really good drama.
The band of strangers who have their differences and antagonisms, but overcome these as they are forced to work together; the stereotypic American rural and British soldiers; the rescue of an innocent civilian from the dishonorable intentions of an evil Nazi; getting through enemy lines by impersonating enemy soldiers; the deaths of a couple of our favorite characters during the climax - this is all stock fair, and some earlier WWII movies have certainly done it better.
After surviving a massacre in Malmedy, a location behind the German army in Europe, four American soldiers with only one weapon rescue the British pilot Oberon Winley (Kirby Heyborn) in a tree and they move together, trying to reach the allied forces and save a great number of allied soldiers from a German attack with the information got by Winley in his flight.
That tells you something already right there about this movie's influence, draw, and sheer raw power.Even without the references to faith, this film would've been great, yet it wouldn't have had the same emotional impact like it did.
Although not overly bloody, you get the impression from the effects that war is real and dangerous, and therefore the sacrifices by me and my brothers-and-sisters-in-arms come to light, even for those who don't believe in what we do.I got a chance to meet the producer/director Ryan Little and the primary actor of the movie, Corbin Allred, whose character you could really feel for.
Two great men with the courage and talent to put this thing together in 30 days on a shoe-string budget, yet it looks like a multi-million dollar movie.
I have always counted on the movie industry, especially "art" films, to expose the underbelly of Christianity, and to expose their audience to only alternative and life--affirming living styles.What happen with Saints and Soldiers?
There is not a lot of black and white characters, but in the end the biblical message of brotherhood and love prevails even in the ugly face of the brutality of war.This was an excellent movie.
Teaming up with an RAF Sargent with some vital information, they must break through German lines to save thousands of American lives.Made for less than $1 Million and more or less filmed in someone's backyard (a very big backyard in the mountains, but their backyard non the less) it cuts back the real characters to only a small number and keeps the action to the minimum, but combines some horror elements (which I love in war movies, because I can imagine no greater horror than war).
This is a group of people you probably wouldn't want as friends and who start out not liking each other, but by the end of the movie you truly understand the close bond formed by people during war (something Band of Brothers didn't even seem to try to do, just told you it is so).You also see the true nature of people and that a uniform might make someone an enemy, but it doesn't stop them being human.
A phenomenal achievement in film-making on par with Saving Private Ryan and Band Of Brothers, and since those are my two favorite war movies, that says a lot about this film.
Greer, his friend Gordon Gunderson and a handful of others escape the massacre by hiding in the nearby woods.The small band of soldiers come across a stranded British Intelligence officer with valuable information to be delivered to Allied Forces, further upping the stakes of their already dangerous situation.With few weapons, no food and a strained camaraderie, this tiny band must take on the unforgiving winter to fight their way back to allied occupied territory.Once in awhile a small independent film can show us a large part of what Hollywood has forgotten about movie making.
The center character of the story is a former missionary of the Church of Later Day Saints, hence the title, but other than knowing he has a bible (or prayer book) and was a missionary, there's no preaching, lecturing or religious intervention in the film to be found.
It was a low budget war film but it looked like they spent millions.
I really enjoyed it and have been recommending it to all my family and friends.What I really liked about the film was that it had LDS themes in it but it did not push the LDS faith on you like some other movies do.(I am LDS by the way!) I think people of all different kinds of faiths will love the film.I hope you guys keep making great films!
It became very apparent not long after the film began that this wasn't a big budget war film because the movie is filled with scenes of snowy fields and trees, and the actors walking through them.
On a similar note and with hindsight it's not just the victors who write history but also Hollywood and the Malmedy massacre has featured occasionally in Hollywood movies with SAINTS AND SOLDIERS being one of them The massacre at Malmedy sets up the story where four survivors escape the mass murder and find themselves on the run behind enemy lines .
Mind you half of Easy company were played by British actors in BAND OF BROTHERS so I suppose the serve is returned Something that might disappoint a lot of people is the fact that there is very little in the film .
May be the makers should have approached the material a little different to make it interesting, because now it is a movie that I would not recommend.The story about a couple of US soldiers and one British soldier behind enemy lines after a massacre starts with a very impressive scene; the massacre itself.
Both are trying to make sense of the horrors they are going through, and while they start out somewhat at odds, they grow closer as the movie goes on.It's hard not to compare this to "Saving Private Ryan," another story of a small band of GI's going cross-country and battling Germans, trying to reach someone and accomplish something.
So many films about war, and especially about WW II, focus on the 'good guys' (read Allied troops) versus 'bad guys' (read Germans) and the monumental confrontations that have gained heroic monikers like D-Day, Normandy, Battle of the Bulge, etc.
At times the individuals within the massive units are brought into focus ('Saving Private Ryan', etc) but primarily they are frontal decoration for the Big Effects created to stun the audience.Then comes along a small scale independent film like SAINTS AND SOLDIERS and while the battles are there and realistically created, this time they are background settings for this intimate story of the survival of four men and how that survival and a concerted mission serve to allow each to become wholly vulnerable despite all the societal taboos for honest, fragile emotions in men at war.
The now five men are propelled along the course of the war growing from each other's spirits.The photography for this low budget film is utterly magnificent and was shot by the director Ryan Little himself.
The locations used in this film was exactly what did the trick I guess because you can almost feel how cold it is and how they must feel.Not all movies need a budget of a small country to be good.
Excellent movie, and I don't like war films..
This movie was perfect...gave the facts of war without too much gore...but intertwined it with a very good story, great characters and an interesting perspective.
I think people and even critics are not doing justice to Saints and Soldiers, this film was truly impressive when you know the budget they were working with ...
Of course, you can expect a lot from Batman Begins or Kingdom of Heaven when you have respectively 150 million dollar and 135 million dollar to spend...People should be reminded that this film has been done with 780 000 dollars budget and the result is amazing.....no fuss with famous actors...the storyline is interesting, the actors are playing well, the filming is original and poetic at times, I am not a war film fan but you owe to care about every single character because they are so truly and humanly well portrayed.
I am really glad I did not know this, as it would have prevented my renting it, as most low budget films are terrible.Saints and Soldiers had a big feel to it.
Movies like Saving Private Ryan and Saints and Soldiers make one think about what others have sacrificed and given, even if they didn't want to, so that we can be free.
Based on a true story, "Saints and Soldiers" is an honorable failure, a low-keyed, understated film set in the closing days of World War II.
Five men - four Americans and a Brit - are trapped behind enemy lines, desperately attempting to get a message to the Allied troops who are stationed miles away across a frozen wilderness.This is a small-scale war film in which character and theme are more important than battles scenes and big-picture strategy.
It shows that even during times of horror and war, morals and courage can both be intermingled.For those who will criticize this movie due to the fact that it was filmed by "Mormons", maybe you should get to know the religion a bit better.
In fact, actor Peter Holden is playing his grandfather in the role of Sgt. Gordon Gunderson.What the film portrays in good fashion is that there is a morality in place in the average soldier during war.
The scenery brought a chill, the music was evocative, the battle scenes were gripping and the sound editing had people twisting in their seats trying to locate the source.All in all, Saints and Soldiers is an excellent film that should be seen on the big screen and then added to any history buff's DVD collection when video release time comes.
When S&S is compared to other war movies, S&S isn't bloody like Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers.
This is the movie Saving Private Ryan would have been with less of a budget and more of a sense of who people are and the real moral choices of war.There are no big battles to follow here.
Saints & Soldiers tells the story of few soldiers behind enemy lines trying to make it through by supporting & understanding each other,the age old message being delivered with it..team work is always above your own comforts when lives are at stake.The film is merely 80minutes long but is so well made that at the end you feel satisfied & more or less emphatic.It depicts that during a time of crises even small things have big values which we don't understand unless we need them.In every war there are proficient soldiers on both side who obviously treat each other with disdain & hatred but exceptions are always there,the film is sort of a short story covering all the above aspects at some levels,its a brilliant movie and from my side i give it perfect score as far as entertainment goes.Good story,great performance,good subject matter...pretty much sums it all up,i am sure that you r gonna have a great time enjoying this one.....
I am genuinely very shocked to see that people have said it is their favourite war movie, better than Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers...you must be joking me.
This film has War violence then what a TV versions of "Saving Private Ryan" or the "Big Red One" would have.I think this is an attempt by liberal Hollywood to censure and limit a good clean movie with a message about faith in a god.