Saints and Soldiers (2003)

Director:

Ryan Little

Writers:

Geoffrey Panos (story)
Matt Whitaker (writer)

Release Date:

25 March 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | War | Drama | Adventure

Tagline:

Trapped behind enemy lines. All they have is their hope.

Plot:

Four American soldiers and one Brit fighting in Europe during World War II struggle to return to Allied territory after being separated from U.S. forces during the historic Malmedy Massacre.

Plot Keywords:

American Soldier | Winter | Woods | WWII | German Soldier

Awards:

16 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Corbin Allred	...	Cpl. Nathan 'Deacon' Greer
Alexander Polinsky	...	Medic Steven Gould (as Alexander Niver)
Kirby Heyborne	...	Flt. Sgt. Oberon Winley
Larry Bagby	...	Pvt. Shirley 'Shirl' Kendrick (as Lawrence Bagby)
Peter Holden	...	SSgt. Gordon Gunderson
Ethan Vincent	...	Rudolph 'Rudi' Gertz
Melinda Renee	...	Catherine Theary
Ruby Chase O'Neil	...	Sophie Theary
Jeff Birk	...	Radio Announcer
Ben Gourley	...	Private McKinley
Tane Williams	...	Injured One-Armed Soldier
Randy Beard	...	German Officer #1
Curt Dousett	...	German Soldier #1
Michael Buster	...	German Soldier #2
M. Casey Reeves	...	Weeping Soldier

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for war violence and related images. (edited for re-rating)

Runtime:

USA:90 min | Argentina:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | USA:PG-13 (edited for re-rating) | USA:R (original rating) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Alpine, Utah, USA

Company:

Go Films

Trivia:

The photo that "Deacon" carries throughout the film is of actor Corbin Allred's grandmother, and is in fact the photo that Allred's grandfather carried with him throughout WWII.

Goofs:

Continuity: After leaving the forest house two US soldiers are carrying M1 Garand rifles. There's nowhere they can have taken this weapons from, except from the German they killed and the prisoner. These had a Luger pistol and a Karabiner 98k, not M1s.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Villa

A gem of a film.

Many films succeed outside the context of Hollywood hype. This one provides several messages competently executed by new talent, and without the special effects so commonly packaged by Tinseltown. Dialog and talent hold one's attention in a real-world interpretation of the Malmedy massacre and it's aftermath in WW2 Belgium. The tagline, 'A Time For Heroes' says much and it's more than appropriate for our time since the definition of 'hero' has been broadened by current events and uncommon courage. Lighting, sound, location, editing, and inventive writing make this a weekend wonder if you're seeking a story of principled men in desperate circumstances. Not unlike John Sturges' films.