Saints and Soldiers: The Void

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Saints and Soldiers: The Void
Saints and Soldiers- The Void poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Ryan Little
Written byRyan Little
Produced by
  • Adam Abel
  • Ryan Little
Starring
CinematographyRyan Little
Edited by
  • Burke Lewis
  • Rhett Lewis
Music byJames Schafer
Production
companies
  • Go Films
  • Cinedigm Entertainment Group
  • Koan Productions
Distributed byPurdie Distribution
Release date
  • August 15, 2014 (2014-08-15)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
German

Saints and Soldiers: The Void (also known as Saints and Soldiers: Battle of the Tanks), is a 2014 war drama film directed and written by Ryan Little. It serves as the third installment in the Saints and Soldiers film series, and is a standalone sequel to Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed . The film stars K. Danor Gerald, Adam Gregory, and Matt Meese. The Void was the most expensive of the Saints and Soldiers films due to its use of tanks. It was filmed in Alpine, Utah. The film received mixed reviews with some critics calling it a "riveting drama" and some critics stating that more focus on writing and execution would have improved the film.

Contents

Plot

In May 1945, remnants of the German army continue to fight in the Harz mountains. The rapid advance of Allied forces into Germany has opened a widening gap between the farthest advancing Allied forces, or spearhead, and the "critical rearguard" following them. This stretch of battle-scarred land is nicknamed "The Void" by American troops.

An American M18 Hellcat tank destroyer nicknamed "The Avenging Angel" fires on the watch tower of a German POW camp, allowing the Allied prisoners to flee. Among them are a British lieutenant named Goss. The freed prisoners are assembled for transport to the rear. Sergeant Jesse Owens, formerly of the 827th Tank Destroyer Battalion, has been reassigned to drive one of the trucks in the convoy. Owens, an African-American, is not respected by some of the white soldiers.

Captain Briton McConkie orders Sergeant Atwood, commander of the Angel, and Sergeant Whitaker commanding another M18 nicknamed the Annie, to clear out an area still defended by Germans. Atwood's crew includes Corporal Simms and the feuding Privates Barlow and Mitchell. The trucks encounter a fake body in the road and a hidden German Panzer III tank destroys the truck driven by Private Perry, killing everyone inside. Owens escapes with Goss when his truck is also destroyed.

The M18 crews encounter a German family and let them go although one man carrying a loaded pistol had been in German service recently. They next encounter Owens and Goss who have evaded pursuing Germans. Realizing at least one German tank is waiting in ambush, and unable to contact headquarters by radio, the crews of the M18s decide to proceed and a fight ensues with three German tanks. "Annie" is destroyed and only Whitaker survives while Atwood is killed as "Angel" escapes.

Owens and Simms argue about what to do next. Simms refuses to take orders from a black man regardless of rank. When Owens suggests taking on the Germans again, Simms accuses him of trying to make a name for himself by needlessly risking their lives. Their argument is cut short by the arrival of a German tank. Owens and Simms man a nearby artillery piece and force the German tank to move away with a near miss. "Angel", with a jammed turret, nonetheless destroys the German tank. Owens and Simms slip away from the German infantry, kill a team of Germans occupying a house, and obtain a Panzerfaust. Using an improvised antenna, the crew of "Angel" contact headquarters and learn that a convoy approaching the German ambush includes a jeep carrying an Allied general.

Owens and Goss exchange histories. Owens is the only survivor of a mostly African-American unit in the Ardennes that was caught drinking and sent on a suicide mission as punishment. Goss had escaped the POW camp with two other soldiers and was recaptured. Forced to play Russian roulette by a German officer named Shoenbeck, the other two soldiers were killed. Shoenbeck, a former tank instructor, is now in command of the German unit waiting in ambush.

Goss shoots one of the German tank commanders, then kills the rest of the crew through the hatch. When he takes one of Shoenbeck's soldiers hostage; Shoenbeck shoots his own soldier but is shot down by one of the other Germans before he can kill Goss.

"Angel" draws the last German tank out and lures it into driving over a cellar where Owens has concealed himself. He destroys the tank by firing the Panzerfaust at the tank's belly. Barlow and Mitchell reconcile while Simms and Owens emerge from the battle as friends.

Cast

Production

Ryan Little wrote the script for Saints and Soldiers: The Void a few years before it was released. He had K. Danor Gerald picked out for the role of Owens before production even started, having worked with Gerald on Forever Strong and House of Fears . [1] Saints and Soldiers: The Void was the most expensive to film of the Saints and Soldiers franchise, because of the use of tanks. Ryan Little and Adam Abel gathered tanks from Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona to use for filming. [2] It was filmed in Alpine, Utah. During production, Gerald would be the last cast member to eat lunch to better understand racism for his role of an African-American soldier. [2] [3]

Release and reception

The film was released on August 14, 2014, in a select number of theaters. [2] [3] The film was released on DVD in November 2014. [3] Saints and Soldiers: The Void received mixed reviews. The Salt Lake Tribune called the film a, "riveting action drama with a strong message". [4] However, Deseret News wrote that the film, "offers an important message and some nice visuals. But there's still the feeling that a little more focus on writing and execution would have etched a more enduring experience." [5]

Sequel

A standalone sequel titled Saints and Soldiers: War Pigs was released in 2015.

References

  1. ↑ Court, Mann (August 14, 2014). "New 'Saints and Soldiers' film chronicles World War II's conclusion". Daily Herald. Herald Communications. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Toone, Trent (August 14, 2014). "Actors, filmmakers celebrate Saints and Soldiers franchise with roundtable discussion". Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Petrovsky, Mike (December 28, 2014). "A Gate City Saint and Soldier-Latest movie in World War II series features character from Pocatello". Idaho State Journal. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  4. ↑ Means, Sean P. (August 15, 2014). "Movie review: Third 'Saints and Soldiers' film is a riveting war story". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  5. ↑ Terry, Josh (August 14, 2014). "New 'Saints and Soldiers' spotlights tank battles, racial conflicts in WWII". Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. Archived from the original on August 16, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
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