Directed By: Spike Leee
Written By: James McBride (Based on his Novel)
Cinematography By: Matthew Libatique
Editor: Barry Alexander Brown
Cast: Laz Alonzo, Derek Luke, Omar Benson Miller, Michael Ealy, Valentina Cervi, John Turturro, John Leguizamo, Kerry Washington, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, D.B. Sweeney, Robert John Burke, Omari Hardwick, John Hawkes, Brad Leland,
The plot Christmas, 1983. A New York postal clerk, a Buffalo Soldier in Italy in World War II, shoots a stranger. In his apartment, police find a valuable Italian marble head, missing since the war. Flashbacks tell the story of four Black soldiers who cross Tuscany's Serchio River, dodging German and friendly fire. With a shell-shocked boy in tow, they reach the village of Colognora. Orders via radio tell them to capture a German soldier for questioning about a counteroffensive. In the village, a beautiful woman, partisans that include a traitor and a local legend, the boy, and the story of a recent massacre connect to the postal worker's anguish forty years later. And the miracle?
This is one of those almost movies. The compelling material in there and it almost comes off like it is supposed to but it falls short. It's a good movie but not a great one. It comes close but doesn't quite live up to it's full potential. It needs some tightening. The Script could have been better. Thefilm looks beautiful and the visuals are luminous. The locations could have been a bit more scenic as could the backgrounds of most scenes. We are in picturesque italy after all. I understand it is supposed to be during wartime.
While i am not a fan of hand-holding or force feeding the audience. Some points could have been made more clear. Likethe love triangle. The motivation of all the participants. What drove her to do what she did?.
I like the Statements of race and how P.O.W. germans were treated better then the african american soldiers on american soil. Including how the people in the italian villages treat them even though they are trying to protect them.
It was interesting that some of the nazi soldiers are treated sympatheticly, but the nazi generals actions were a little too far fetched towards the end, but so was the ending.
The film tries to avoid cliches while surrouding itself in them. Like for instance all the troops are around the same age. The leader of the group was originally supposed to be palyed by Wesley Snipes. Whohad to drop out at the last minute as he was not allowed to leave the country and is replaced by Derek Luke Who does a good enough job even though they are wildly different in age. I think Wesley Snipes would have brung something doifferent to his portrayal as he is older and would seem a little more worldly.
The film is a nice attempt by Spike Lee here tryig his hand at his second epic film. It is certainly a joy to see him stretching past small stories usally limited to new york. The last time he made a epic he made a mastepiece MALCOLM X. So it's a little disappoointing to see him fall short. I believe the problem was that as he was making one of the first films to show the african american experience in the armed forces. He has too many subjects and ideas going on at the same time. The unecessary beginning and ending in present day could have been cut. i understand he wanted to bring closure to the characters but there had to be a better way to do it. Just as there is too mjch spirituality in the film. idon't mind some but it was all over this film. Becoming overbearing. I give Spike lee a lot of credit for his ambition here. He doesn't fall on his face at all.
I'm not going to judge this film as harshly as other critics did, But i feel maybe they did because like me they were expecting more then what they got. That is more the individual reviewers fault not the filmmakers.
The film could have been shorter by 20 - 30 minutes. Just be ready to sit if you decide to watch the film. I thinkyouare in for a good heartfelt film.
Grade: B-
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