Released by Excel Entertainment Group/Purdie Distribution
With David Ayer’s FURY opening in October, and Ryan Little’s latest SAINTS AND SOLDIERS entry opening on August 15th, it looks like tank movies are in this fall.
The first SAINTS AND SOLDIERS movie achieved world wide acclaim upon release in 2004, but for whatever reason, writer/director Ryan Little waited over a decade to bring us the follow-up, AIRBORNE CREED. Thankfully, there’s no such wait for SAINTS AND SOLDIERS: THE VOID.
To be fair, THE VOID isn’t really a sequel. As was the case with AIRBORNE CREED, this is simply a new roster of characters set against the same World War II backdrop. In THE VOID, a U.S. M18 Hellcat crew is ambushed by 3 German Panzers while making their way through the Harz Mountains. Racial tensions begin to flare when one of the Hellcat crew members exhibits animosity towards a superior officer. Of course, on the battlefield, chaos reins supreme and these two soldiers will ultimately have to work together in an effort to ensure the survival of their Hellcat crew.
THE VOID is another solid entry in the SAINTS AND SOLDIERS franchise. While these modest, independently financed films aren’t on the same scale as something like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, it should be noted that Little gets a lot of mileage out of limited funds. This movie is beautifully shot. Furthermore, Little does a good job of building the rapport between his characters before they’re thrown into battle.
K. Danor Gerald emerges as a cast standout. As Sgt. Owens, a dedicated officer who must keep his anger in check as racial tension escalates, Gerald anchors the movie, no question. He brings passion, vulnerability, and toughness to the role. Look no further than a scene in which Owens tells an ignorant solider a hard hitting story about his father. It might be the most powerful moment in the film, and it’s because Gerald completely owns it. There are certainly moments in the script that are conventional and a bit heavy handed, but Gerald is so effective, that he rises above those moments.
As a director, Little has a terrific eye and it’s clear he’s a World War II history buff. The battle scenes in THE VOID are well executed, and while the climax of the picture could have been a little more grandiose, it’s solid nonetheless. In terms of intensity, this might be the edgiest entry in the series. It features, among other things, a Russian roulette sequence, but rest assured, the film refrains from graphic violence. This is a PG-13 rated movie and will greatly appeal to those who enjoy old school war films.
As stated earlier, there are stretches in THE VOID that are a little heavy handed, but overall, the cast (most notably, Gerald) is strong, the look of the film is gorgeous, and Little’s direction is solid. I was a fan of the first two pictures and THE VOID keeps the streak alive. Here’s hoping Little makes a 4th.
