Damian Lewis

Damian Lewis is a name you should all come to know. He is an incredibly talented actor who has proved himself to be versatile in many different roles. Lewis comes from England, he actually lived on the famous Abbey Road. His American accent is so authentic however that you would never think that he comes from anywhere but the States.

I first saw Lewis in his role of Captain Winters in Band of Brothers. If you've read some of my previous posts then you can probably tell that I am a huge fan of Band of Brothers. I read that when the cast heard that Brit Lewis would be playing the hero Winters there was some question as to how he could pull it off. However when he sat down with them and spoke with his American accent no one questioned that he wasn't from the US. Lewis shines in this role and bought authenticity to Winters on screen. It was an incredibly powerful performance, my favourite of all the easy company men.

I then started reading about the show Homeland and thought I'd give it a shot. I watched the first season in three days and am now eagerly anticipating the second. In the show Lewis dons a uniform again as Sgt. Nicholas Brody, a Marine who has returned home after going missing in Iraq eight years earlier. Claire Danes plays Carrie Mathison, a CIA Agent who believes that Brody isn't the hero everyone is making him out to be. Although Lewis looks similar to Winters in this role, he couldn't be playing someone more different. Brody has a dark secret and perhaps Mathison is closer to the truth than she realises. If you haven't seen then show then I recommend you watch it. The writing is brilliant and the story constantly changes and keeps you guessing.

A friend of mine recommended I check out Life on Netflix. I managed to watch the two seasons within a week. Lewis plays Charlie Crews, a detective who was wrongly accused of murder and sent to prison for 12 years. The first episode follows him on his first day back on the force with new partner Dani Reese. Crews was awarded $50 million for his wrong conviction. He lives in a furniture-less mansion with ex-con Ted Earley, who he trusts with his finances. Crews goes through some beautiful cars in the show, one which is run over by a tractor, another which he gives away only to get it back painted in flowers. He then buys himself a Maserati, only to be forced to put bullets into it. The show follows Crews and Reese as they work on different homicide cases. Crews however is also doing his own hunt for the people who put him behind bars in the first place. Lewis' Crews is a lovable character who has a newfound love for fruit after spending 12 years without it. He is all about zen but 12 years in prison has taught him some particular skills, so don't get on his bad side. If you have Netflix check it out, it's really entertaining.

It's a shame they cancelled Life, but we now get to see Lewis in Homeland and so that's definitely a great compensation. I really enjoy seeing him in these different performances and can't wait to see what season two of Homeland brings, and to watch Lewis continue on what promises to be a spectacular career.

Meet the Men of Easy Company

Maj. Richard D. Winters

Played by Damian Lewis

Capt. Lewis Nixon

Played by Ron Livingston

Herbert M. Sobel

Played by David Schwimmer

1st Lt. Lynn 'Buck' Compton

Played by Neal McDonough

SSgt. William "Wild Bull" Guarnere and Pvt. Edward "Babe" Heffron

Played by Frank John Hughes and Robin Laing

Guarnere

Frank John Hughes

Heffron

Robin Laing

TSgt. Donald Malarkey 

Played by Scott Grimes

Capt. Ronald Speirs

Played by Matthew Settle

Cpl. Eugene Roe

Played by Shane Taylor

"Currahee"

We Lucky Few, We Band of Brothers

Today's post is dedicated to a show that means a lot to me: Band of Brothers

I am a huge fan of war films, particularly those set during World War Two. What I find the most appealing about these films is the way they can show how humans can band together in a time of crises. We've seen some amazing films of heroism set during times of war like Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. They aren't always easy films to watch but I believe it's necessary that we do. We must never forget the price men and women have paid for our freedom. 

Band of Brothers is a TV mini-series which played on HBO in 2001. The show is based on the true story of Easy Company of the US Army 101st Airborne Division during World War Two. Each episode began with commentary from the actual soldiers of Easy Company. It isn't until the final episode that we get to learn which soldier they are. 

The first episode is called "Currahee". We are introduced to the men who will make up Easy Company as they train at Camp Toccoa. Here we meet Lt. Dick Winters (Damien Lewis), the man who will become the heroic leader of Easy Company. At this point in the story the company is led by the brutal and petty Captain Herbert Sobel (played brilliantly by David Schwimmer) who tries, and fails to court martial Winters for no real reason than he's jealous of his success with the men. 

In "Day of Days" Easy Company have landed by air in Normandy on D-Day. With their Commander missing Winters takes over the company and they are given orders to take out a German artillery bunker. The success of this task means that the soldiers arriving on the beach (as we saw in Saving Private Ryan) have a chance at survival. 

"Carentan" is a small village that Easy Company must take over from the German's in this third episode. We get to see a great moment between Winters and a young soldier named Blythe who has gone blind from hysteria and fear. 

The "Replacements" episode is truly a sad one. Easy Company heads to North Holland and have lost so many men at this point that replacement soldiers are bought in. These soldiers are new to war and combat and you can see the difference in their faces to those of Easy Company's men who have been to hell and back. The episode shows a great story of Sgt. Bull Randelman who gets separated from the others and has to hide out in a barn as the Germans move in. Unfortunately Operation Market Garden is not as successful as they'd hoped. 

In "Crossroads" Winters leads Easy Company in a successful attack on two companies of German SS soldiers. He is promoted to 2nd Battalions Head Officer which means he has to leave Easy Company, however he does so knowing that it's in good hands under Lt. Moose Heyliger. Unfortunately the company ends up under the control of Lt. Dike who the men do not respect. Easy Company is supposed to be pulled from the lines after fighting for so long but instead they are sent to Bastogne where they face their greatest challenge yet. 

"Bastogne" is my favourite episode. Easy Company spend Christmas 1944 in the frozen Ardennes forest of Bastogne where they are subjected to constant attacks from the Germans. This episode focusses on Eugene Roe, Easy Company's medic as he tries to keep the men alive and also struggles to get supplies. Lt. Dike is notorious for going missing during times of need and the men of Easy Company find themselves without a leader most of the time. 

"The Breaking Point" is one of the hardest episodes to watch. The men of Easy Company are under constant attack, they have no shelter, little food, no warmth and are running low on ammo. We see some of the soldiers we've come to know and love get severely injured, particularly Guarnere and Toye. Seeing his friends in pain has a huge impact on Lt. Buck Compton. The men end up finally battling the Germans who have been attacking them for so long. Lt. Dike is an absolute disaster in the field and Captain Winters wants to go and save the men himself but knows he cannot. Instead he sends in Lt. Speirs who proves himself to be a spectacular fighter. 

In "The Last Patrol" Easy Company is now in France. They have lost countless men and have lost that boyish innocence they all began with. Pvt. David Webster returns to the company after being in the hospital. However his absence from Bastogne means that he is no longer seen as equal to the other men, who have suffered greater wounds than him and refused to go to hospital, choosing instead to stay and fight with the men. The end of the war is near and the men are focussed on surviving. Captain Winters makes a decision to ensure their survival when an order is given for the men to go on what Winters sees as a pointless raid. 

Easy Company finally reach Germany in "Why We Fight". There are some heartbreaking moments in this episode, particularly when the company come across a concentration camp filled with people. The men come to understand that their loss has not been for nothing, that the war was worth fighting. 

The last episode is called "Points". The war in Europe is now over, however that does not mean that the men can go home. In order to be freed of service you need to have accumulated a series of points. Some of the men will have to continue fighting the war in the Pacific. The series ends with the remaining men of Easy Company playing a game of baseball as Winter's voice over tells us what became of the men in their days after war. Winters calls the men together and says that the Japanese have officially surrendered, war is over, the men of Easy Company can go home. Winters voice over says that "Each of us would be forever connected by our shared experience. And each would have to rejoin the world as best he could...there is not a day that goes by that I do not think of the men I served with, who never got to enjoy the world without war."

The final message we are left with is from the real Captain Winters who says: "I cherish the memories of a question my grandson asked me the other day when he said, 'Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?' Grandpa said 'No… but I served in a company of heroes.'"

Please check out this link to see The final moments of "Band of Brothers"