Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Saints & Soldiers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 19, 2009

Inspired by a true story Ryan Little’s “Saints and Soldiers” (2003) follows the deeds of four soldiers as they move through the frozen Ardennes Forest in Belgium at the end of WW2. The film lacks lavish visuals and a high-powered cast, but its realistic tone and convincing characters are thoroughly impressive. Courtesy of UK-based Metrodome Video.

In Ardennes Forest

December 1944, Ardennes Forest, Belgium. Sergeant Gunderson (Peter Holden, On a Tuesday), his Mormon friend Deacon (Corbin Allred, CSI Miami), the quiet medic Gould (Alex Niver, Perfect Fit), and the rough-talking Louisiana native Kendrick (Lawrence Bagby, Walk The Line) have managed to escape a bloody massacre. With only one weapon and limited supplies they begin to make their way back to the Allies forces.

Deep into the frozen forest, the four soldiers rescue a British pilot (Kirby Heyborne, Believe) who has been shot down by the Nazis. He is in a possession of crucial information that must be delivered to the commanders of the Allied forces.

Written by Matt Whitaker and Geoffrey Panos (screenplay) Saints and Soldiers certainly has its fair share of rough spots. Its dialog isn’t entirely convincing, the class-collision between the British pilot and Kendrick is underdeveloped, and the religious overtones the second half of the film focuses on are quite puzzling to say the least.

Technically, however, Saints and Soldiers is probably one of the best in its genre (Mormon cinema). The entire film has a distinctively intimate tone that provides the viewer with an excellent opportunity to experience the emotional turmoil soldiers are faced with during war. Indeed, there is a sense of authenticity here that a lot of big-budget war films routinely lack.

Furthermore, Saints and Soldiers is completely unaffected by Hollywood-style melodrama. Aside from a few of Deacon’s flashbacks, partially revealing why he is tormented by disturbing visions, the rest of the film is remarkably believable. There is also a good dose of humor that is effectively blended with the graphic footage.

As noted above, what prevents Saints and Soldiers from being a perfect film is the expected plug on religion (the key scene takes place in the second half of the film where Deacon and the atheist Gould exchange some harsh words). Ryan Little’s message is perfectly clear, certainly as far as this critic is concerned, but the tension it creates between the two characters is hardly something that blends well with the rest of the script. As a result, the religious overtones Saints and Soldiers promotes come off as a bit of an oddity.

The tech crew’s ability to recreate the frozen Ardennes Forest in snowy Utah is commendable, particularly given the fact that Saints and Soldiers was completed for less than $1 million. The polished look on the mass scenes for instance, where the Nazi’s movement is captured, is without a doubt on par with what a big-budget production would have accomplished. Finally, Saints and Soldiers benefits from an excellent soundtrack by J. Bateman and Bart Hendrickson that enhances marvelously its dramatic narrative.

Saints & Soldiers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Saints and Soldiers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of UK-based distributors Metrodome Video.

The AVC-encoded transfer for this limited-budget production is quite impressive. Sharpness and detail are very consistent while the color-scheme, dominated by a variety of whites, is simply perfect. Evidence of heavy DNR manipulation isn't present here, and I am pleased to note that the healthy film grain has been preserved. Contrast is also exceptionally strong, though during selected scenes it appears that it might have been boosted a bit. Clarity, particularly during the outdoor scenes (the forest footage for example looks spectacular in 1080p), is also very pleasing, and I assume that those of you with large screens will certainly be impressed by how well Saints and Soldiers has been lensed. The high-definition transfer used by Metrodome Video is healthy and without any disturbing scratches, dirt, or debris. However, during the opening 10-15 minutes, I spotted a few very small specks that popped up here and there. Still, this wasn't something that detracted from my viewing experience. To sum it all up, this is a very solid presentation for an interesting film that is unlikely to be released on Blu-ray in North America. (Note: Even though this Blu-ray release is marketed as Region-B, it is in fact Region-Free. The main menu is not in PAL, and you won't have any issues playing the disc's content on your Region-A PS3 or SA).

Saints & Soldiers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English: DTS-HD 5.1 and English: Dolby Digital 5.1. I opted for the DTS-HD 5.1 track and did selective comparisons with Dolby Digital 5.1 track for the purpose of this review.

The DTS-HD 5.1 track does a fairly good job of capturing the intensity of the battles seen in Saints and Soldiers. Yes, none of them are large-scale battles as the ones seen in Saving Private Ryan or We Were Soldiers, but they certainly benefit from the potency of the DTS-HD 5.1 mix (surprisingly, there is a dramatic difference in terms of clarity between the DTS-HD 5.1 mix and the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, even as far as the actual dialog is concerned). This being said, the rear channels are active but not routinely used. On the contrary, since Saints and Soldiers is mostly a dialog-driven feature the overwhelming majority of the sound comes from the front speakers. Unsurprisingly, the quality of the dialog introduced by the DTS-HD 5.1 track is excellent – it is crystal clear, very easy to follow, and without any distortions that I could detect. Balance is also handled adequately. J Bateman and Bart Hendrickson's soundtrack is blended nicely with the dialog granting the film with a surprising but likable epic flavor. Finally, I did not detect any hissings, pops, or cracks to report here. Optional English HOH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Saints & Soldiers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are three great commentaries on this Blu-ray disc. One with the director of Saints and Soldiers, Ryan Little, its co-producer, Adam Abel, and co-writer Matt Whittaker; one with actors Corbin Allred, Peter Holden, Larry Bagby, Kerby Heyborne, and Alexander Niver; and finally, another commentary with military advisers Jeffrey Panos (writer) and Ray Maildrum. I went through all three commentaries and these are the comments that I could offer you:

Each commentary spends a great deal of time on the history behind this film. The relevant parties address the original story Saints and Soldiers is based upon, what were the technical obstacles the cast and crew had to deal with (the third commentary with the military advisers has some excellent information in the rough weather conditions in Utah the shooting team and cast had to endure), and how everything was put together. As far as technical details are concerned, Ryan Little's commentary is certainly most informative, for obvious reasons, as he goes in great detail explaining how specific scenes were shot. To sum it all up, if you really are interested in the production history of this film, the three commentaries cover absolutely everything that a fan of the film (and a film buff interested in WW2 history) would want to hear more about. Outstanding! In addition, Metrodome Video have also added a standard Making Of which provides plenty of footage from the sets of the film complimented by comments by the cast and crew (unfortunately, the Making Of is in standard-def PAL, meaning that you won't be able to access it unless your TV set can accept PAL signal directly). Finally, there is also a theatrical trailer for the main feature.

Saints & Soldiers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Given that Excel Entertainment have now discontinued the R1 SDVD release of Saints and Soldiers the Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Metrodome Video, certainly comes highly recommended. It is region-free, offering three very informative commentaries, and, most importantly, boasting a transfer that should please even the most demanding amongst you.