Saints & Soldiers 2 Airborne Creed

What a powerful story of redemption!

I just saw the movie in the theaters and could not wait to get home to pre-order the DVD.

This is a story to be thoughtfully considered many times, on many levels. Some will see only the action, others will marvel at the authentic war machine, the planes and tanks and soldiers. Some will say that the virtue of this story is that it is "real", a portrayal of ordinary souls trying to maintain their decency amidst the ugliness of war.

But there is a much more powerful theme. It's been said that every good story is a story of personal redemption, the transformation of an individual from flawed humanity to someone with a spark of the Divine. And we see that, in Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed. There were scenes in this movie where you could feel the transformation taking place. It gripped your heart and wrenched emotions that you don't often feel in movies. I'm not sure I've ever seen finer acting as in those moments when these soldiers had to confront who they had been, and choose who they wanted to become.

The film is rated PG-13 for war violence and would be appropriate for mature teens. Unlike many films with war violence, there was no swearing, no ugliness towards women. Some of the worst brutality is implied, which is much more effective story-telling. There were explosions and combat and blood... without gore... Plenty of action and tension but plenty of the human dimension, too. It is far more than a "war" or "action" movie. The redemption theme should provide ample fodder for family and classroom and post-movie discussions.

Simple safe heroic script. The writers enhance our concern for the three US Paratroopers by inserting key flashbacks that effected each of their lives. Predictably this all plays out in the final battle scene. Even a German soldier finds redemption. Beware ladies! Have your supply of tears ready! Produced with a low budget and reenactors there is a feel of the quality of a bigger picture. Makes for a good rental!

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Although hard not to compare with the first episode of Saints and Soldiers, I also liked this one as well. The story is told differently, more flash-backs and plenty of action but it didn't feel like it compared to the first movie. The character development is slow, but worth it. The end of this film is the highlight of the film and very similar to Ryan's student film back in college. It really ties up the loose ends of the film. Really about the humanity of the soldiers that fight and not just about negative stereotypes about Nazis and Germans like in other WWII films.

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I watched the first Saints and Soldiers movie a few years back a low budget movie with a no-name (outside of the Mormon world) cast. While I wouldn't necessarily say that it was good, it did at least have a storyline that kept things interesting about 3/5 stars' worth. It was with that low level of expectations that I decided to watch Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed.

OK, well, where to start? The story is basically about three paratroopers, a small handful of French Resistance fighters, and about the same number of Germans. The set included mainly one shed, one farmhouse, grassy fields, wooded areas, one half-track, and one tank. Oh, and one jeep, one VW "Thing" and one motorcycle + sidecar.

The premise seemed somewhat interesting...paratroopers were being dropped into southern France in the aftermath of the DDay invasion that was, BTW, far away from where this story was set. The three paratroopers meet up after being dropped far from their drop zone, and the main story line seemed to be to try to get to a town where they could meet up with other US paratroopers.

I guess the movie was supposed to be character driven, since no plot ever developed, and I would have believed that, except that there was basically little to no character development. Oh sure, we see one character's flashback to time with his minister-father, and the struggle he had in breaking the news that he had joined an Airborne unit. Oh, and we got to glimpse another paratrooper and his girlfriend spending time before he shipped out. And the third paratrooper provided little more than occasional flashbacks of experiences he'd had earlier in the war in Italy. Flashbacks, but not really any character development.

So, maybe this movie was supposed to be plot-driven...except that a central plot never materialized. There were sporadic exchanges with Germans, a plan to make it to American lines (which never materialized), a diversion to help some French partisans rescue some of their number who were being held prisoner, which didn't really go anywhere, an attack on a half-track and tank that didn't accomplish anything. Aside from that the main high point was one of the paratroopers NOT telling the others why he got a mohawk haircut. Oh, there was also a German who played a somewhat foreground role, but all we know is that he has a family with whom he talks on the phone before overseeing the execution of some Frenchmen. So, what about him?

Who are the "Saints" in the title? Was it the German? Was it the minister's son? Was it the girlfriend? I mean, did someone actually proofread and critique the screenplay and review the plot before they went out back and started randomly filming?

Upon further reflection all I can say is that this movie is pretty disappointing.

2 stars, because something has to be completely terrible and offensive to earn 1.

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Anyone who is a fan of the first movie will also enjoy this one, although I can't say it as good as the first one (sequels rarely are). The acting was very good as it was in the first one. Especially Corbin Allred who I am surprised is not a big star in Hollywood. Both movies are fantastic considering they were made for about a million bucks each. Not every WWII movie has to be a million dollar blockbuster to be good. In fact, many that cost tens of millions with big-name actors do not compare to the Saints & Soldiers movies.

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