WAR MOVIES

By the Ranting Reverend

An old man slowly approaches a cross shaped headstone standing amidst thousands of others. He quietly sobs and falls weeping before one. The camera slowly zooms in on his eyes and we are transported back to the storming of the Beach at Normandy replete with screaming men and exploding bombs, and lots and lots of blood…

Thus the movie “Saving Private Ryan” begins. This is one of the bloodiest, gruesome movies (except perhaps “The Passion of the Christ”) that I have seen.

I find it interesting that many, if not most women and many men just do not get why war movies and cowboy movies are considered “Guy Movies” and then real men are mocked for loving them so.

Ladies and girly-men, please direct your attention to the screen. It is not about the blood and guts. It is not about seeing people’s limbs being torn off nor is it about seeing someone’s brains being spilled on the ground. What is it about? It is about Christ.

Now that seems to be a stretch for so many people to grasp on the surface, but war movies and many cowboy movies like “Tombstone” are nothing less that stories of salvation. Furthermore, they are pictures of the Christian life of service.

Since, I started with “Saving Private Ryan,” lets continue on with that one. Here is a story about one soldier who is caught up in the middle of impossible circumstances in the middle of an awful war. All three of his brothers were also in the same war and all three of them died at nearly the same time. Thus Private Ryan is the sole surviving male in his family and he is to be sent home and now the story truly begins.

Someone must be sent, at great risk to bring Private Ryan home, and so begins a heroic tale of brotherhood, valor, sacrifice and even atonement. These are Biblical themes, these are themes that reflect Christ Himself.

Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) and his band of soldiers are dispatched to find this one lost sheep. They are entrusted with his protection and safe return. Does this theme sound Biblical in the least? Something about a Good Shepherd come to mind? More on that later.

After great personal cost to this band of brothers and their leader, upon receiving word that his mothers other sons had died for the sake of freedom, Private Ryan declares his brothers in arms to be his new family and he refuses to abandon them and leave them even more short handed than they already were. He makes the decision to stay, fight and if need be die rather than leave and save his own life. They all dig in and Captain Miller makes a spectacular last stand, propped up against a jeep firing at a tank with is .45 pistol. In the end, Private Ryan is indeed left alive and returned home to father generations to come.

John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.”

This is what a good war movie is about, not the blood, not the guts, and maybe even not about the guns and explosions (no matter how much I like guns and explosions). A real man is moved in his soul when he sees true, heterosexual, brotherly, manly love portrayed in such a way. This is what is so glorious about these movies and what is glorious about war itself. I wish I could remember which Civil War General said that it was a good thing that war is so terrible because otherwise mankind would never put down his weapons. Brotherhood is born of blood. If you bleed with me, you are m brother or so says Shakespeare. This is why I myself played one of the most violent sports around – rugby. Ruggers have a brotherhood born of blood and pain, we go through a hell of a lot of pain together and we wear our injuries as badges. Broken noses, torn ears, concussions, separated shoulders, torn up knees, the list goes on and we carry each other off of the field of battle and then we drink ourselves silly and tell the stories of our heroic deeds. Hardly war, but definitely a battle.

Back to war movies how grateful would you be, knowing that someone gave up his life to save yours? How unworthy would you feel if your best friend selflessly jumped on a live hand-grenade?

And so, we get a picture of Christ. He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep (John 10:11). He is the friend who has the greatest love as He did indeed lay down His life as He exchanged His life for the death penalty that we, through our sin, deserve. He is the one who does all good things on our behalf because we are not able to do them for ourselves.

In the movie “Tombstone,” Wyatt Erp has a rendezvous with destiny, as he is to have a showdown with the deadly Johnny Ringo. Erp is not fast enough to beat him, but Wyatt’s dear friend (who loves him like a brother), Doc Holliday, who is fast enough and bad enough to beat Ringo tricks Erp and beats him to the showdown. Of course, Holliday defeats Ringo and Erp lives, even though it was not his own doing.

There is one other great scene in this movie. As the Erp brothers head down to the O.K. Corral, Doc approaches Wyatt and offers aid, Wyatt tells Doc that it is not his concern. Doc is hurt by this (as they are dear friends) and he says that is a hell of a thing to say. Doc, loves his friend enough to die next to him in battle if need be.

Why do I love war movies, because they are not about killing, nor are they about slaughter (those are the slasher movies – which are truly senseless), instead war movies, truly good war movies are about love. The sort of love that pulls at the hearts of men, the sort of love that gives us a glimpse of our Savior’s love for us.

Like the old man who collapses before the cross shaped gravestone of Capt. Miller, likewise, we collapse before the cross of our Hero, our Savior, our Redeemer who gave up His life so that we might live. His name is Jesus, but unlike Capt. Miller, the grave cannot hold Him.

Some of you who will read this still will not get it, and for that, I am truly sad for if this is you, you have missed out on one of the truly finest things in life.