Movies And The BibleSample

Blockbuster War Films Feature Bible-Quoting Soldiers

War movies have been a Hollywood staple since the early 1900s, but it wasn’t until nearly 100 years later before the brutal reality of combat was most graphically portrayed. One of the most powerful examples is found in legendary director Steven Spielberg’s classic Saving Private Ryan (1998), which features Tom Hanks as United States Army Rangers Captain John H. Miller who takes his squad to retrieve Private First Class James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), whose three brothers have died in battle.

Known for its relentlessly violent 27-minute opening depiction of the assault on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, the Academy-Award recognized film also stood out thanks to Private Daniel Jackson (Barry Pepper), a hillbilly, left-handed sniper who quotes Bible verses during some of the film’s most intense scenes.

On Omaha Beach, for instance, he quotes Psalm 22:11 while lining up a rifle shot to take out a German machine gunner. Later, while hiding on a street in an abandoned French town, Jackson quotes Psalm 25:2 while aiming at a German sniper positioned in a tower. Then, while occupying a tower, he lines up another rifle shot while reciting Psalm 144:1–2:

 “Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust…”

Before he can finish the verse, a German tank gun is fired, and he and a fellow soldier are killed. The shocking scene serves as a stark reminder of the brutality of war.

More recently, Fury (2014) highlighted the Bible’s impact on military culture through the lens of characters such as Boyd “Bible” Swan (Shia LaBeouf) and Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt). Trying to survive the final days of World War II, a tank crew in Europe waxes philosophical about the meaning of life and death.

Moments before their last battle, “Bible” Swan shouts out a prayer of submission taken from Isaiah 6:8:

“‘Who shall I send, And who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’”

Towards the end of the film, Wardaddy paraphrases John 2:15–16 as “Bible” Swan tends to a fresh gunshot wound:

“If a man loves the world, the love of the Father ain’t in him. For all in the world, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world.”

“The world and its desires pass away, but he who does God’s will lives forever,” Swan responds while reciting John 2:17.

“I once had a long spell with nothing but the good book and my conscience,” Wardaddy says, as Swan finishes patching up his arm.

According to LaBeouf, his interaction with Pitt during production was particularly impactful as the two had deep conversations about religion and the Bible—a topic with which Pitt was very familiar thanks to his upbringing in a Methodist family. Pitt’s past appreciation for the Bible was noted by fellow actor and close friend Jason Priestley in the book Jason Priestley: A Memoir while retelling a story about a Christmas party Pitt hosted and a gift he gave everyone in attendance:

“Brad had returned from Missouri with a box of Bibles,” he wrote. “There was one for each of us . . . Brad was so pleased with himself he could not stop smiling.”