Review of Miracle at St. Anna (2008) by Nathan W — 14 Feb 2009

The only miracle here is the fact that a filmmaker of Spike Lee's pedigree could make a film this poor. The film is over the top, poorly acted by many of the leads, and cannot maintain its damn focus on one story line. Instead, we get an all-encompassing story that blend war with mystery, family affairs, and even some supernatural elements. Basically, it can't decide where the hell to go, so it goes everywhere, and does so in muddled fashion. For a film that was meant to celebrate what African Americans have done in terms of US history, this film spends more time focusing on Nazis and Italians than it does on the "Buffalo Soldiers" unit. And even when the focus is on our four main characters, much of the time is spent showing arguments over who can have sex with a Italian female who acts as the groups interpreter.

With all of these issues, it would be hoped that Lee could bring some flair to his battle scenes. Instead, the battles feel mundane and ineffectively shot. Yet they are still better to watch than the overlong conversations that make up nearly the entire middle section of the film. Hopefully Lee's next war film is better focused, and, well, good.