Review of Saints and Soldiers (2003) by Zach H — 26 Jun 2009

While it takes a while to really get started, this is a very good film, if slightly historically inaccurate. The way the movie is shot makes it feel a little like band of brothers, which eliminates the originality factor. However, the cinematography is very good nonetheless, and the acting is great, especially that of Deacon (Corbin Allred).

There's also something to be said for not being a big-budget war film. For me at least, the problem with such films is that they're always done almost too well, and I always can't help but think of the fact that the actors have been pampered throughout shooting, unlike the people they portray. Smaller films like this don't have that feeling, and instead feel grittier and more realistic.

The other benefit of not being a hollywood brainchild is that it doesn't succumb to the stereotypes that hollywood creates. For example, in most WWII movies, the allies are the good guys and the germans are the bad guys. In this movie, that's not always true. Deacon, on the one hand, is an ally and good guy who does something terrible in the heat of battle. His friend, Gertz, on the other hand, is a German (whose army had just massacred allied POWs), but saves the main characters' lives by telling them where the nearest jeep is. In the end, this isn't a story of good vs. evil, but a story of survival and camaraderie between soldiers.