Wordiezett So much average

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

sergelamarche Not sure what is the point of the story. It is strange and complex. Germans are the top bad but few characters are all bad or all good. There are resistants, italian town with a lovely one, boy rescued, and plenty of murders, and one massacre. Some of it rings true but a lot of the story seems off, like a strange dream.

mistermassive I can't say enough about this movie. Firstly, your dealing with the people who (since day day one) always play the part of pawn, cannon fodder and war dog. Often found walking point, cleaning toilets, fixing trucks you find the black guys in the military. But when it counts in "the clutch" and lives are on the line it's when these men have often risen above the rest. So as the cream rises to the top this move is rich with STORY (you know lacking in most movies any longer).Intertwined storytelling and excellent dialogue makeup the bulk of the acting scenes. The lighting, coloring schemes and overall appearance are lively and always seem to provide wonderful depth. Often I was surprised at how playful the soundtrack and audio was for this film considering rather dark content (no not the actors you racists).But with high caliber props, thoughtful and expertly filmed action sequences (on par with anything I call a keeper for my collection), vehicles and WWII memorabilia. Enough eye candy for any WWII buff. The high points for me are literally too many to nail down. I am not lying when I say it was as "pretty" as "Band of Brothers" with the acting (spoken dialogue) of a top notch mafia movie; all executed so very well, bravo guys! I would honestly love to see many many more black guy war movies (IT'S ONLY FAIR Hollywood!)- Budget is important and so is teamwork. This film to me represents something that could kick off top grade future movies with heart, bravery and lovable moments. Time to find more moves by this director and team! Oh me? - White 40-50, Denver, Colorado, Pot Smoker and lover not a fighter :)

ironhorse_iv I praise the real Buffalo Soldiers for what they did during World War 2, but I don't praise this movie. I feel for Sant'Anna di Stazzema, but I don't feel for this movie. The reasons why are clear. It wasn't that good. There was so many things wrong about this film, and so little good. The Spike Lee film opens in 1983 in NYC, where a aged Puerto Rican WWII vet Hector Negron (Laz Alonso), a bank clerk has just shot a customer at work. How on earth, did Hector was allow to bring a gun to work, and second off, what the odds of him keeping a old gun with him, just in case, he sees a old enemy in the past at a bank. The odds are very high, but with the movie title Miracle At St. Anna. I guess it can happen. A reporter Tim Boyle (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) ask Hector, why he did, and the story finally goes after 10 minutes in to WWII Italy, where Hector is part of the Buffalo Soldiers patrolling a Italian field while Axis Sally is ringing their ears from a loud speaker telling them the wrongs about United States and why they shouldn't fight against the Nazis. This was pretty interesting, and reminds me of somewhat of Jesus getting tempted by Satan in the desert with the role of Jesus as the soldiers. After a miserable river battle scene, where it showed most of soldiers just standing still getting blown up like idiots. Three survivors including Hector are catch behind enemy lines being lead by 2nd Staff Sergeant Aubrey Stamps (Derek Luke)- the smartest of the bunch. While Stamps is the only realish black soldier in the film, as the others are just amateurs actors acting like soldiers. I don't even think the actors even know anything about the military in the way they shot and act in the film. The real buffalo soldiers were not that stupid, they would have starting hauling ass to cover and set up a plan, these fools went around clueless shooting without being a team. The real buffalo soldiers were so disciplined, and well trained. In this movie, they question orders, not only from their white commanders, but between each other. Aubrey Stamps would be a better character, if only he wasn't allows fighting with Bishop Cummings (Michael Ealy), a walking racist stereotype who question everything, I mean everything. Not only that he is also a womanizer and very unlikeable character. Rather than trying to survive the war, the two of them are all after a Italian woman Renata (Valentina Cervi) they find, and fights each other on who get to sleep with her. Renata agrees to allow the four men to hide in their house in the village from the German, under the protector of the partisans lead by Peppi 'Butterfly" Grotta (Pierfrancesco Favino). While they are there, one of the soldiers Sam Train (Omar Benson Miller) saves and befriend a local child Angelo. Train is a lovable character, but I can't see him being a real soldier as the actor can barely move under his huge weight. Not only that, he's carrying around a heavy old Renaissance Marble head around as if he is Bart Simpson holding around Jebediah Springfield's head around. Angelo gives him, the nickname 'Chocolate Giant' and the relationship between them is charming as the boy believes in Miracles like the highly religious Train. Without giving it away, the ending to the film is emotional and it somewhat works within the plot-line. While the movie has a good story, it suffers from too many subplots with unexplained and barely development scenes. The language in the film isn't historic right. The slangs don't match the time period. Perhaps Spike Lee and author James McBride didn't see eye-to-eye on some things. While it's a fictional film, it's suffers from historically inaccurate. Saving Private Ryan is a great film largely because it has something to say."We all have a duty to something bigger than us." St. Anna doesn't do this. It has no central theme that is universal and true to the story. All it has is a bunch of scenes that say different things that are on because director's mind. St. Anna isn't suppose to about Spike Lees opinions. I agree with his opinions, but this wasn't the film that he shouldn't have made. Lee made them into overly presented stereotypes by having ignorant black soldiers, and arrogant and militantly racist whites. I don't think all blacks were ignorant, and all American whites were racist. A better, less racist director would have focused more on the actual story than his own agenda. I don't think this movie help overcoming the gap with racial tension in United States. I think it made it worst. I think he hurt, future filmmakers who'd love to see more Black American depictions in WWII movies by this film. That's why Private Ryan is and will always be the measure that WWII films try to reach, weather they admit it or not. If you want a good movie about African-Americans in World War II, watch The Tuskeegee Airmen or the documentary "Inside Buffalo'

ffreemon I just saw this on TV. Reading the other reviews, I am struck by my different take. I think all the other reviewers like traditional films with a beginning, a plot, boy loses girl, boy finds girl, bad guy is killed, hero kisses the horse. This is not like that at all. You think you are following the story rather well and then, zoom, you are off in another story. Despite the fact that the plot doesn't follow a predictable course, I never lost interest. I never knew what was happening next. I never figured out some things. Who was the guy who was killed in the beginning? Summary: this is certainly a movie worth seeing if you do not try to fit it into a mold that exists in your mind but not in life.