Review of Miracle at St. Anna (2008) by Christopher S — 11 Jul 2009

Spike Lee's World War II drama is a major disappointment. Lee manages to frame a handful of effective scenes, but not enough to make James McBride's heavy-handed and hackneyed script work. Surprisingly hokey and sentimental, the performances are uneven and it goes on way too long.

Lee is almost always an interesting filmmaker, but this is definitely one of his weakest efforts. Strong, if at times overblown, score by Terence Blanchard.