Saints and Soldiers: The Void
August. 15,2014 PG-13Germany, May 1945, deep in the Harz Mountains a U.S. tank crew discovers a platoon of Germans preparing to ambush U.S. supply trucks.
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Reviews
Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
I love this movie so much
Absolutely the worst movie.
Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.
07/13/2018 Poor dialog from below average actors. Zero excitement, zero suspense, lackluster storyline. Brand new tanks (no dirt/no wear/zero battle scars), as well the trucks, the uniforms, helmets, weapons etc. No unshaved faces, no beards, forever clean clothes. As war movies go, this is a complete FAIL. I do NOT recommend that you waste 2 hours of your life/movie watching time on this film. Bon Appetit
OK acting for the most part couldn't overcome corny, ham handed writing and plot, especially the the parts concerning racism. The actors spouting technical factoids about guns and equipment seemingly meant to impress WW2 nerds was dumb. The most egregious failings were the unrealistic appearance of equipment (fresh of the assembly line - no mud, dents or wear whatsoever), and uniforms (suede leather shoes fresh out of the box; no dirt, stains, smudges or rips on the clothes).The actors spend most of the movie freshly shaven until someone finally realized how ridiculous they looked. The racist guy goes from clean shaven to having 3 days growth in the middle of a scene. Amateur hour. I will say that Owens relating the experience of black units with combat experience being relegated to rear guard service and support duties was a common occurrence and a realistic touch.
If you come into Saints and Soldiers: The Void and watch it for what it is, overall you will be pleased.(1)The Plot/Dialogue: From beginning to end, the story definitely has direction, as you'd be pressed to find a scene where the narrative feels like it has stalled or is not moving along. Character development is somewhat lacking at the start, but towards the end I feel that Little does a decent job of filling holes. Ben Urie as Lt. Goss and K. Danor Gerald as Jesse Owens do commendable jobs and perform their roles at very respectable levels. Where lines and script may have been cheesy or written poorly, the superb acting of these two cast members definitely cover it up. In total, there are many parts where there could have been extra speech, or could have been rewritten, but nothing too bad that would deter you from watching the film. The "whole concept" from start to finish was nicely done.(2)Scenery/Setting: As always, Little does a magnificent job at taking the low budget and what little he has to work with and turning in a masterpiece backdrop. Everything from the prop guns, to the tanks, to the uniforms were period-correct and had a real, authentic look and feel. In my opinion, the explosions and special effects may not rival those on the big screen, but they were never anywhere close to looking fake. The blue/gray tint from editing really gives an old war-time look, which also adds to the realism. The only knock I have is some of the props would have benefited from a little dirt, as sometimes they looked to new and not battle-torn, but nonetheless impressive.Final Thought:Ryan Little has proved once again that he deserves a shot to direct a bigger budget film, albeit with a better script writer, and more well-paid actors. The scenery was outstanding and the special effects were done very well for the budget. If only there were deeper-voiced actors that seemed more battle-tested and a better dialogue for the script, I may have given this movie a 10/10. Not a game-changer, but a credible war movie that does not dishonor the genre.
As being a low budget movie you mustn't expect a "band of Brothers" or depth like "Saving private Ryan" feeling. It lacks a certain dramatic atmosphere. It doesn't 'pull' you in the movie as being one of them. The plot and story though are quite interesting.2 US hellcat tank destroyers are caught in an ambush by 3 German panzer's in a no-man's land area (called the void). The German ambush had previously caught 2 trucks carrying US POWs and the only survivors are one of the drivers (who is an African-American) and a British lieutenant . The story focuses on racial disputes in the US army at that time. On one hand there's the African-American sergeant Owens who is the most experienced of the lot, trying to take charge of the situation, while 2 men from the tank crew are bigoted against him. The British lieutenant fights his own private battle with the Nazi's just to avenge the death of his fellow prisoners. It all ends well, as you might expect. Sgt Owens saves the lot and the racial tensions seems to disappear...All in all.. No dramatic filming as Band of Brothers or Saving Private Ryan No feeling of being part of the movie... difficult to relate to someone. but it had a nice story and for once.. the US as well as the German tanks are correct... (not the German uniforms though)...