Film Review: Saints and Soldiers (dir. R. Little 2003)

This film is sometimes called the most critically acclaimed L.D.S. film yet; it certainly carries a strong Mormon message, even if it doesn't proselytize too aggressively. The story follows four U.S. soldiers, one of whom is a L.D.S., even if the film never uses that term, "Mormon," or "Book of Mormon," caught behind enemy lines in WWII, in the Battle of the Bulge. The L.D.S. corporal is called "Deacon," but we never learn his real name--making him a kind of L.D.S. everyman. The group also includes Deacon's sergeant, from the 101st Airborne, and two troopers from another unit. There's the standard WWII movie cliche of soldiers from various places: Snowflake, Arizona (Deacon, natch); Chicago, Brooklyn, and a redneck from Louisiana. At first the group is merely trying to stay alive, having escaped a German massacre of P.O.W.'s. But then they find a downed British pilot with crucial intelligence, and the story becomes one of getting the intelligence back to the Allied lines.

Along the way, there is standard WWII movie action (German patrols to be evaded, a French farmhouse with a friendly family) and incredibly standard WWII movie dialogue. The L.D.S. elements come in through the relationship of Deacon with the cynical, atheistic medic from Brooklyn. At first, "Brooklyn" scorns the Deacon, but by the film's end, he takes up the Book of Mormon--well, he takes a book out of Deacon's pocket, so I'm assuming it's the B.O.M. In the most Mormon of the movie's plot devices, the group encounters a German soldier Deacon converted on his mission to Berlin. This plot element comes back at a key point, of course. We are also told that Deacon "doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't even like coffee." Yeah, Deacon's a Mormon, all right. He finds redemption from an earlier "sin," just in time, so to speak.

I won't spoil the end of the film, but suffice it to say that, as in many WWII movies, one of the central characters makes a Christ-like sacrifice to save his fellows. And it ain't the hick from Louisiana.

This film is basically Saving Private Ryan with Mormon themes. If you're not interested in L.D.S. cinema, probably not for you--assuming, of course, that you've seen that Spielberg movie. The one thing I will say very positively of this film--it was made on a small budget, but the production values are pretty good.