Spike Lee is a gifted director. I haven’t enjoyed every movie he has done (25th Hour and Inside Man). But, I have enjoyed some such as Malcolm X and He Got Game. So, to say he is not gifted would be a lie. Miracle at St. Anna is good, and I dare say almost great. It doesn’t reach “great” due to its long length when 20 minutes or so could have been cut out. The ending is not really that good, either. There are parts that are boring, especially when the soldiers are in this small Italian town with nothing to do. Those parts make up the 20 minutes that could have been cut out.
The story is interesting, and leaves some questions that are answered by the end of the film. There are scenes of war and violence, and ultimately this is a war film. The story focuses on four black soldiers who survived an attack. They go to this small Italian village and try to find a way back to safety. Due to the running time, you get to know the characters and they all have unique personalities. The story comes full circle by the end, and what you witnessed at the beginning will make sense once the story unfolds.
The name of the film will make sense once everything is put together, too. I especially enjoyed that part of it. Besides the film being a little too long, I think Lee did a fantastic job putting a story like this on the big screen. It does remind us that there were soldiers of all colors, and they all fought for one cause and one country. A war film told from a particular viewpoint that has a mix of drama and mystery is something we do not see much, especially in this genre. So, as far as this film goes, Lee has shown his talent and directing ability, and told a story that’s close to his heart.
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Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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