Miracle at St. Anna

Miracle at St. Anna

Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2009 Normally excellent director Spike Lee lets his passion get in the way of his filmmaking with this leaden, poorly focused, 2:40-long would-be epic about the 92nd Infantry, the “Buffalo Soldiers,” black men fighting in WWII. Lee was apparently loath to cut anything from screenwriter James McBride’s novel, resulting […]

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Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2009

©2008 Produzione Cinematografiche-All Rights Reserved

©2008 (Buffalo Soldiers and On My Own Produzione Cinematografiche-All Rights Reserved

Normally excellent director Spike Lee lets his passion get in the way of his filmmaking with this leaden, poorly focused, 2:40-long would-be epic about the 92nd Infantry, the “Buffalo Soldiers,” black men fighting in WWII. Lee was apparently loath to cut anything from screenwriter James McBride’s novel, resulting in a patchy melodrama with way too many characters and subplots. Looks good, and the acting’s fine, but as a whole it’s less than convincing. A so-so wartime procedural with increased social consciousness, this is a film that’s impossible not to admire, but it’s a real slog.