Saints and Soldiers (2003)

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.

Director:

Ryan Little

Writers:

Geoffrey Panos (original story), Geoffrey Panos (screenwriter)

Stars:

Corbin Allred, Alexander Polinsky, Kirby Heyborne

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	...	Sophie Theary (as Ruby Chase O'Neil)
Jeff Birk	...	Radio Announcer
Benjamin Gourley	...	Private McKinley (as Ben Gourley)
Tane Williams	...	Injured One-Armed Soldier
Randy Beard	...	German Officer #1
Curt Doussett	...	German Soldier #1
Michael Buster	...	German Soldier #2
M. Casey Reeves	...	Weeping Soldier

Storyline

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. While marching, each soldier discloses inner secrets to the rest of the group.

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Plot Keywords:

american soldier | behind enemy lines | ardennes forest | battle of the bulge | winter | 

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Taglines:

There is a time for heroes

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for war violence and related images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

25 March 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Saints of War

Filming Locations:

Alpine, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$780,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$129,056, 8 August 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,310,470

Company Credits

Production Co:

Go Films, Medal of Honor Productions LLC

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (DTS-HD 5.1) Dolby Digital (5.1 surround)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1 / (high definition)

Did You Know?

Trivia

The highest opening weekend of any release from Excel Entertainment: $129,056 (from only 26 screens; week of August 6-8, 2004)

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Goofs

Early on, before the Malmedy massacre (which took place in December 1944), a German solder relieves Kendrick of two packs of Lucky Strikes in green packaging. In reality, Lucky Strikes switched to white packaging in 1942, alleging that the green dyes were needed for the war effort. Oberon, the British flier, correctly carries a white pack of Lucy Strikes.

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Connections

Featured in The Ben Shapiro Show: On to Tax Cuts! (2017)

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Soundtracks

Villa
Performed by JoAnn Ottley
JOANN OTTLEY: Retrospective
1999 Tantara Records
Used by permissionn

User Reviews

A simple story told with great skill. Very satisfying

This is a very simple story, told in a very simple way.A group of soldiers escape capture and fight their way to rejoin friendly forces. Nothing new or unusual there. However Ryan Little has managed to tell this simple story with a great sense of compassion and feeling. So much so that at times I had to remind myself that this was a story of war. 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. Yet they work well within the over all feel of the movie, showing that war is fought by, in the most part, ordinary people under extraordinary circumstances. At times the pace was a little labored, particularly at the farmhouse. The relationship with the mother and child seemed to develop too quickly, somehow become pivotal almost instantly. This aside, character development occurs at a natural and easy pace. 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. Without the big budgets and extreme violence, this little gem delivers a fantastic reward for those who take the time to watch.

8.5/10