Old War, New Camera
On August 15, 1944 the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team jumped over France on a mission to provide support to the Allied troops. But they were dropped in the wrong place and three of them find themselves together in enemy territory and immediately having to defend themselves from attack. Realising they are over a dozen miles away from the troops they start to make their way across county. Along the way they come across Emilie (Virginie Fourtina Anderson) a resistance fighter who offers to help them get to their destination as long as they help her rescue some resistance fighters who are being held a little way a way.
As I watched "Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed" I got a sense of deja vu but couldn't pick where I had seen the movie before. I still can't but I guess that sense of deja vu comes more from the simple fact that "Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed" is just a modern take on an old war movie standard of some American soldiers behind enemy lines trying to get to the fight. Along the way they not only meet with the French resistance but have various run ins with the enemy whilst also doing some soul searching as their lives before the war affects how they react during war as does what happens to them. In a way it feels like "Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed" was made for a modern audience who are yet to discover the joys of old movies and so won't have seen similar storylines dealt with in movie from 60 years earlier which featured Hollywood stars.
The thing is that "Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed" whilst ultimately familiar is in truth a nicely put together movie which might have been made on a budget but benefits from modern cameras to give it a decent look. The settings, often sun kissed, look great and the occasional actions scenes are short but sharp and frankly impressive for their rapid ness. Plus whilst the actual characters themselves are not the most interesting of people despite some background information provided via flashback the cast of relatively unknown actors do a nice job of giving each their own characteristics.
What this all boils down to is that "Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed" is a solid small budget modern war movie with some nice camera work and reasonable acting. But the basic storyline is a familiar one and anyone who is a fan of old movies will find it a lot like a modern update of a few old war movies with elements combined.
