Saints and Soldiers
2004 American film / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Saints and Soldiers is a 2003 war drama film directed by Ryan Little and produced by Little and Adam Abel. It is loosely based on events that took place after the Malmedy massacre during the Battle of the Bulge. The film stars Corbin Allred, Alexander Niver, Lawrence Bagby, and Peter Asle Holden as four American soldiers trying to return a British airman with vital intelligence to the Allied lines.
Saints and Soldiers | |
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Directed by | Ryan Little |
Screenplay by | Geoffrey Panos Matt Whitaker |
Story by | Geoffrey Panos |
Produced by | Adam Abel Ryan Little |
Starring | Corbin Allred Alexander Niver Kirby Heyborne Lawrence Bagby Peter Asle Holden |
Cinematography | Ryan Little |
Edited by | Wynn Hougaard |
Music by | Jason Bateman Bart Hendrickson |
Production companies | Go Films Medal of Honor Productions LLC |
Distributed by | Excel Entertainment Group |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | English German |
Budget | $780,000[1] |
Box office | $1.3 million[1] |
After researching World War II and the Battle of the Bulge, Little began shooting in January 2003 in Utah. Filming lasted 30 days. Little and Abel were able to save money on production by recruiting a group of World War II reenactors who volunteered their services, costumes, and props. Excel Entertainment released the film at festivals to garner publicity before it was released to the public. The movie won numerous Best Picture awards from over 15 film festivals.
Critical reception was generally positive with praise towards the message, story, performances (particularly of Allred and Niver), production values, and action sequences. Though the screenplay, pacing, and ties to Mormonism were criticized by some reviewers, several film scholars argued that despite the Latter Day Saint (LDS)-related themes, the film appeals to a wide audience.
The movie's success, launched its titular film series, including three standalone sequels.