Review of Miracle at St. Anna (2008) by Adam M — 26 Feb 2009

Okay, I just finished watching Miracle at St. Anna. From the previews, it looked like a great movie. I was thinking that it was like a Band Of Brothers version of the "Buffalo Soldiers" 92nd Infantry Division. The trailer, successfully tricked me into believe that Miracle at St. Anna was worth watching, it wasn't.

I'm always pretty easy when it comes to movies, like if a War based movie doesn't have many battle scenes (like Thin Red Line, not too many battle scenes, but the movie had a deeper meaning to it), but this movies takes the cake. Never have I spent a whole movie wondering "What the hell is going on?" This is caused by the continuous chopping and changing in time periods and most of the movie wondering who the hell that damn kid is taking to.

I like movies that keep me wondering, Who is this? How are these people linked? But Spike Lee's crappy attempted to link the past, to the present day (set in 1983), by the use of the little boy, is ridiculous. As well as the need for the character Train (Omar Benson Miller) to be such a moron. His stupidity causes me to wonder how the hell he would be allowed to work as a kitchen hand, let alone a G.I. soldier.

Apart from the out of period language ("High Five, Up High, Down Low and "Booking it"), the crappy character profiles and the overall Shitness of the movie, two main things bother me.

1) How the hell would the main character, Sergeant Aubrey Stamps, be able to keep a Luger in plain sight at his booth at the post office? Wouldn't have someone gone, "WTF?! There is a gun??" Anybody agree with me on this? I know its the early 80's but come on!

2) The scene after all his friends have been killed in the final firefight of the movie, and after the boy give the statue head to him and thankfully disappears, the area is over run with german soldiers. A Nazi officer stops a foot soldier from killing Stamps, and then hands him his Nazi issued Luger (later used to kill the Italian Partisan Traitor) and says, "Defend Yourself". All I have to say is WTF!!!! Like how the fuck would a Nazi officer give an enemy soldier his gun and tell him to defend himself??? THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!!!

As well as the fact, that the scene ends with him passing out, and all the German soldiers magically disappear and he is surrounded by fellow G.I.'s and gets taken home to safety. WTF?

And I will be brief on the ending, because i've been so blunt on the rest of the movie. The kid, lives, is a millionaire, gets the head back and then they end up in the Bahamas together.......... Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK was Spike Lee thinking? I've always thought Spike Lee was a talented Director, why the fuck would he put his name to this piece of shit, and the writer of (in my opinion) the worst movie of my lifetime, James McBride, should never be able to put his pen to paper again.