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Rating: 4.5 out of 5
American history is filled with fantastic war heroes who sacrificed their lives for their country. We hear all the time about the Generals from Washington, Patton, Grant, Eisenhower, and others, to name a few. What about the ones who don’t come up with the plans and fight on the front lines. The ones who are awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor are the ones who have shown bravery and valor in the heat of battle. One of those famous military persons is Alvin Cullum York, also known as Sergeant York. York is considered one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for having balls of steel while leading an attack on a German machine gun nest during the battle of the Meuse–Argonne offensive in France. In the battle, he gathered 35 machine guns, killed at least 25 Germans, and captured over 132 people. We call that BOSS MODE!! Hell, we might call that GOD MODE!! York went on to earn decorations from other allied countries such as France, Italy, and Montenegro. Directed by Howard Hawks and starring Gary Cooper, the film is about York before the United States entered World War I and his internal debate on fighting in the war.
The story of Sergeant York is fun but also has an interesting concept that one must consider when fighting in war. The movie is split into three parts. The first part deals with York’s wild side and pursuit to win land for a girl he loves. In the rural lands of Tennessee before the United States entered World War I, Alvin York (Cooper) is a poor, young, and wild farmer who doesn’t care about religion. He lives with his widowed mother, sister, and younger brother. York spends most of his time getting drunk with friends and fighting anyone. When he meets Gracie Williams (Leslie), the love of his life, he becomes motivated to purchase a piece of farmland called “bottomland” that is rich and fertile. York busts his ass working all sorts of odd jobs to save enough money to buy the land. When he doesn’t have enough funds, the landowner gives him an extension. York enters a sharpshooting contest with the hope of winning enough funds. During the contests, he manages to shoot a pretty sneaky turkey along with winning a shoot-out to win a bull. With the prizes, York sells it all and has enough money to buy the land. The only thing is that the owner sold it to someone else.
The second part of the story is where it gets interesting. After not getting the land he wanted, York gets drunk as a skunk. In his drunken state, he convinces himself that the land is his and decides to ride to Thompkins’ place to get it. While riding in a thunderstorm, homeboy is struck by lightning. The lightning bolt knocked him and his mule out. He is surprised that he is alive, but his rifle is split in two. York takes this as a sign to get right, decides to join the church, and finds religion. Nothing like God saying, “Get your shit together,” like a lightning bolt to the body.
York does a 180 by attending church, giving forgiveness, and teaching Sunday school. It is a remarkable change. When he is ordered to draft, he says that his religion is against it. After some writing and appeals, he finally goes into the Army. During this time, York stands out among his group as he receives high praise for his sharpshooting skills and is even promoted. I will also say that this is the best part of the film. York meets a fellows from NYC and they talk about the Subway system and they each talk about how their accents are funny to listen to. Nothing like a good group of friends. When the time comes to go to war, this is where the film presents the question of fighting and taking another man’s life. He has conversations with his commanding officer, and they go back and forth about passages from the Bible. His commanding officer even gives him 10 days to think about everything.
The film gets good during the Meuse–Argonne offensive. York is still feeling guilty about killing people. Those feelings completely vanish when he sees all his friends and comrades being gunned down. Something snaps in York, and he goes BEAST mode. He runs up a hill and starts blasting people down like it was a freakin video game. Dude went triple kill and every other Halo achievement. He even uses an enfilade movement that he described to his friends and even the turkey call. During his crazy killing mode, dude killed so many people that the Germans gave up. It was inspiring to watch and showed the will of a person. The saddest part is when his best friend is killed by a bomb. I wished he would’ve been with him to the very end.
Gary Cooper won the Academy Award for Best Actor and did a fantastic job playing Sergeant York. He showed York how he should be, as a man who went from drunken, wild times to finding religion and being a complete badass. Cooper seemed to have the full-on Tennessee drawl and life attitude that made him a joy to watch.
Sergeant York is one of those films that should be watched during Memorial, Veterans, or Fourth of July week. It shows the greatness of one man who went from a party animal to one of the most decorated people in World War I while finding religion. Sometimes, doing the right thing comes at a cost, but it will help many in the future. Salute Sergeant York!
