Miracle at St. Anna (2008)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  Band of Brothaz

• paul s

  
  whoever wrote the script should be sentenced to 10 courses in remedial scriptwriting 101. What a mess - dialogue right out of a high school play, while beating us over the head with its message, and being completely unable to decide what type of film it wants to be. We take a… More
  whoever wrote the script should be sentenced to 10 courses in remedial scriptwriting 101. What a mess - dialogue right out of a high school play, while beating us over the head with its message, and being completely unable to decide what type of film it wants to be. We take a prommissing start, with some nice cinematic touches, sprinkle in some odd noir (Torturo and the reporter are right out of a Chandler novel), and then do a 180 into a not very intense war piece that is more about snafus and human frailties than anything else (the writer even feels compelled to explain snafu - good grief!). In attempting to explain all the bizarre situations, there are still holes a mile wide in the narrative, and often actors are left either over emoting or trying to get some kind of feel for the lousy dialog they have to speak. The final payoff is contrived and ridiculous, and the little "sermon" given by the savior's servent is laughable and cringe worthy (closeup into the camera - as if we didn't already know that this drivel was the "message"). What a disappointment!

• Randy T

  
  2 hours and 40 minutes is a long time to endure a barrage of one-dimensional characters. Unlike other recent war films that vividly capture the chaos and mayhem of battle, <i>Miracle at St. Anna</i> seems contrived and overly scripted. This isn't combat through the… More
  2 hours and 40 minutes is a long time to endure a barrage of one-dimensional characters. Unlike other recent war films that vividly capture the chaos and mayhem of battle, <i>Miracle at St. Anna</i> seems contrived and overly scripted. This isn't combat through the eyes of soldiers, this is a perception of combat through the eyes of a director. As much as I admire Spike Lee, and as much as I really (REALLY) wanted to like this film, I just couldn't. This one is far too cliche to be taken seriously.

• E.J. B

  
  Spike Lee shot himself in the foot when he criticized Clint Eastwood's two-film Iwo Jima masterpiece for not showing the role of African Americans during WW2. First off, the Japanese army didn't have any black soldiers, and second, Flags of Our Fathers does talk about how… More
  Spike Lee shot himself in the foot when he criticized Clint Eastwood's two-film Iwo Jima masterpiece for not showing the role of African Americans during WW2. First off, the Japanese army didn't have any black soldiers, and second, Flags of Our Fathers does talk about how minorities were mistreated at this time, despite their contributions to the war effort. But Miracle at St Anna really is a great film, nowhere near as good as Eastwood's films, but still worthy of attention. It depicts in harrowing detail how all black soldiers were seen pretty much as Operation Human Shield throughout much of the war. Even the Germans were able to point that out to them. Lee also shows the division of black soldiers between themselves. There's a great scene where one soldier flirts with an Italian lady, and another onlooking soldier says, "People like him have set our people back almost 400 years." A little on the nose, but the line gets the job done. Lee has always been a very ambitious filmmaker, and here, he tries to cover the battle from all angles: the peasant Italians, the Italian renegades, the Nazis, the white Americans, and of course the black Americans. At times, the film seems to wander on tangeants, but the emotional impact that Lee is aiming for is never lost. Even as cheesy as the last sequence is, it puts the title into a lot of perspective.

• Chris W

  
  The story is very compelling, and, by what I'm told, the source material is also pretty good. I really liked the music and cinematography. I also liked the fact that this is Spike Lee's take on a war film. Although I do not always agree with him or his vision, I think Spike… More
  The story is very compelling, and, by what I'm told, the source material is also pretty good. I really liked the music and cinematography. I also liked the fact that this is Spike Lee's take on a war film. Although I do not always agree with him or his vision, I think Spike is a fine film maker. I am giving this film a reccomendation, despite the fact that it is a tad too long, a little unfocused and meandering in places, and that it had an unanswered plot hole or two that kind of bugged me. Overall, this is a good (but not great) film.

• Manu G

  
  Pretty good decent movie with a great story. Set in 1944 Italy, the story of four black American soldiers who get trapped in a Tuscan village during WWII

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"World War II has its heroes and its miracles."</i> Set in 1944 Italy, the story of four black American soldiers who get trapped in a Tuscan village during WWII. <b><u>REVIEW</u></b> This movie was a huge let down, a diversion… More
  <i>"World War II has its heroes and its miracles."</i> Set in 1944 Italy, the story of four black American soldiers who get trapped in a Tuscan village during WWII. <b><u>REVIEW</u></b> This movie was a huge let down, a diversion from the trailers and, like others have commented, hard to sit through. First, the movie was sickeningly violent when it didn't need to be. I think we know the Nazi's were ruthless. We don't need to see their gruesomeness up close and in extended scenes. What's the point. Second, the moral issues broached in the movie were handled no deeper than a freshman level human relations course. Even the racial overtones of the movie, usually Spike's forte, were trite and predictable. Lastly, given the first two flaws, Spike Lee's directorial methods, which normally are provoking, seemed overly pretentious. Avoid it like a plague.

• Michael S

  
  A powerful film from Spike Lee that could have been great if the overall product wasn't marred by some major flaws; most notably pacing issues, weak editing, and some bizarre stylistic choices. While it's disappointing to think about the film that could have been, this is… More
  A powerful film from Spike Lee that could have been great if the overall product wasn't marred by some major flaws; most notably pacing issues, weak editing, and some bizarre stylistic choices. While it's disappointing to think about the film that could have been, this is still a very good effort that I found quite involving and unique, with a take on WWII that I have never seen before. The reviews were definately way too hard on this one; most likely due to the whole Clint Eastwood fiasco.

• danny d

  
  i decided to watch this despite spike lee's tremendous hypocrisy surrounding the films contraversy. it was worth a watch and overall was a great flick, but it doesnt justify its long running time. the war scenes were gritty and effective and the characters were interesting, but… More
  i decided to watch this despite spike lee's tremendous hypocrisy surrounding the films contraversy. it was worth a watch and overall was a great flick, but it doesnt justify its long running time. the war scenes were gritty and effective and the characters were interesting, but some of the coincidences were unbearable and the end was horrible. a must see but with caution as it is a bit overhyped.

• moon r

  
  as Da Babe stuck out his big mitt and called his shot, spike lee is calling his shot here and swinging for the fences...and he damn near almost gets them. a character driven vehicle where the main action happens in a small town in italy near the end of the war, negro soldiers find… More
  as Da Babe stuck out his big mitt and called his shot, spike lee is calling his shot here and swinging for the fences...and he damn near almost gets them. a character driven vehicle where the main action happens in a small town in italy near the end of the war, negro soldiers find themselves accidentally through the nazi lines and have to make do with a language and a people they hardly understand. the germans don't want to be there either, food is scarce and nobody likes them. and the italians...they're unhappy, too, cause there's a war in their country and people are dying. yet everyone is trying to make their way the best they can---sound familiar? with a mad paintbrush driven by the Spirit of Art itself, mr. lee manfully tries the door of the house where bergman, kubrick, and...and...fellini live. you decide if he gets in or not. and let the viewer beware, there's a gut churnin' massacre scene herein, ala potemkin.

• Mister C

  
  One of Spike Lee's best films ever and a sure Oscar contender for this year's Best Picture,Best Director race. The story of African-Americans soldiers who fought like hell for this country at the height of WWII is a story that needs to be told. Thank you Spike Lee for… More
  One of Spike Lee's best films ever and a sure Oscar contender for this year's Best Picture,Best Director race. The story of African-Americans soldiers who fought like hell for this country at the height of WWII is a story that needs to be told. Thank you Spike Lee for setting the record about these brave black heroes straight. Its about time they got the recognition they truly deserve.

• Walter M

  
  "Miracle at St. Anna" starts in 1984 New York City as a postal worker(Laz Alonso) is so angered from watching "The Longest Day" that he shoots an elderly man he apparently recognizes in cold blood at work.(I know a lot of people are not crazy about John Wayne but… More
  "Miracle at St. Anna" starts in 1984 New York City as a postal worker(Laz Alonso) is so angered from watching "The Longest Day" that he shoots an elderly man he apparently recognizes in cold blood at work.(I know a lot of people are not crazy about John Wayne but come on, it's only a movie.) A cub reporter(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) from the Daily News, late to the scene, is left with following a couple of detectives to the accused's apartment where they discover a priceless Italian artifact. Forty years previously, it is being carried through Italy by Private Sam Train(Omar Benson Miller), one of the legendary Buffalo Soldiers in World War II, four of whom survive to make it across a river where they encounter an orphaned boy(Matteo Sciabordi). With a convoluted plot that eventually catches up to its broadly sketched characters, "Miracle at St. Anna" suffers from editing so atrocious, that it fails to establish anything about an important character for the sake of making a statement.(There is one edit, the transfer from present to past, that is perfect but I swear I have seen something like that before.) With much that is patently ridiculous about this film, leaving much to be explained by miracles, at least I can understand the postal worker having the gun at work since he feels he might need it for protection. It's how he got it in the first place that troubles me so much, as does how the artifact got to the States as I am sure the Italian authorities would naturally not want such a priceless artifact taken out of the country. And one scene is pure wish fulfillment. At the head of this mess is Spike Lee, who instead of his usual provocative stance, succumbs to pure sentimentality. And then, of course, there is the sexism. Yes, the Buffalo Soldiers deserve to have a movie made about them. But it should be a movie they deserve.

• Jeff B

  
  Show, don’t tell. In fiction and screenwriting, it is one of the fundamental rules laid down by any professor. This film not only shows you the plight of four soldiers from the army’s fact-based Negro 92nd Division, it wallops filmgoers over the head like a game of Whack-A-Mole with… More
  Show, don’t tell. In fiction and screenwriting, it is one of the fundamental rules laid down by any professor. This film not only shows you the plight of four soldiers from the army’s fact-based Negro 92nd Division, it wallops filmgoers over the head like a game of Whack-A-Mole with the importance of said ‘plight.’ There is such a thing as subtext in filmmaking. Here, however, nothing is left for interpretation. All involved have gone to great lengths (literally, as the film runs an overlong 2 hours and 40 minutes) to portray most white American characters as racist corn-bred caricatures. Unfortunately, this profiling backfires because even the black characters are composed of enough stock to make some seriously overdone soup. In this R-rated World War II drama, a group of African-American infantrymen (Luke, Ealy, et al) get separated from their unit and find humanity in a small Tuscan village during the Nazi occupation of 1944. It is not enough for screenwriter James McBride (adapting from his own novel) to have one of these soldiers watching John Wayne’s Yankee Doodle whitebread D-Day yarn The Longest Day as an old man with a war propaganda picture of Joe Louis in the background, they must also have the character remark, “We fought that war too.” But the blame does not fall solely on the scribe. Director Spike Lee, who used a fantastical ending to great effect in The 25th Hour, incorporates a head-scratching dream sequence in the third act and to meander through more needless exposition toward an unsatisfying ending. Bottom line: Far from a Miracle.

• Sol C

  
  Overall, the film is ok. The performances by this ensemble is really good. It kind of reminded me of films like We Were Soldiers and Inglorious Bastards. Also the ending scene reminded me of the ending scene of The Shawshank Redemption. The main negative of the film is the pacing… More
  Overall, the film is ok. The performances by this ensemble is really good. It kind of reminded me of films like We Were Soldiers and Inglorious Bastards. Also the ending scene reminded me of the ending scene of The Shawshank Redemption. The main negative of the film is the pacing which is completely off.

• Fascade F

  
  What an 2/12 hour emotional gripper that this movie was...Spike really did it this time...and once again he was passed over for his recognition in his efforts in the cinema world for his ground breaking accomplishments to recognize what it is that these soldiers will do to get the job… More
  What an 2/12 hour emotional gripper that this movie was...Spike really did it this time...and once again he was passed over for his recognition in his efforts in the cinema world for his ground breaking accomplishments to recognize what it is that these soldiers will do to get the job done...despite the back stabbing and racial discord that four surviving soldirers found during the time era of World War 2. This was a good and involving movie...that was incredibly long. The old adage that what goes around...comes around...is the "theme" in this motion picture epic.

• Daniel P

  
  25 minutes in and I'm already restless. 1 hour in and I simply do not care about anyone. 1 hour 30 minutes in and I'm convinced that <i>Miracle at St. Anna</i> may be one of the most tediously boring war films I have even seen. <p>Seriously, what happened… More
  25 minutes in and I'm already restless. 1 hour in and I simply do not care about anyone. 1 hour 30 minutes in and I'm convinced that <i>Miracle at St. Anna</i> may be one of the most tediously boring war films I have even seen. <p>Seriously, what happened here? Spike Lee's response to Clint Eastwood's <i>Flags of our Fathers</i> is a failure on almost every conceivable level. The pace is lethargic, to put it mildly, the acting is horrible (especially odd given the talented names), the writing is hackneyed and clichéd, the music - jeez, the fucking music - is an abomination. Half the time the score is plinky plunky breezy comedy stuff, the other time it's a disharmonic hung-over nightmare, it is as oil is to water with what is happening on screen. An ongoing spirituality theme is cloying. Nothing convinces - even the violent battle scenes feel incredibly artificial -and the direction is a mess. An undeniably terrible film.

• Joseph E

  
  Sometimes unediting, and loose plot strands, damage such said greatness, or the whole, movie. For me, "Miracle at St. Anna" was still a great film, even at it's length You need understand the Importance of a movie, to understand how although a messy, put together,… More
  Sometimes unediting, and loose plot strands, damage such said greatness, or the whole, movie. For me, "Miracle at St. Anna" was still a great film, even at it's length You need understand the Importance of a movie, to understand how although a messy, put together, get it in theathers as fast as you can edit, can ruin a picture, but sometimes, the impression,importance, and heartfelt message are more f a reason to enjoy it, then others. "Three and a Half Stars out of Four". A Good Reccomendation.

• Philip P

  
  "Miracle at St. Anna" has a great story goin for it, but the movie itself feels too long and not for good reason-it seemed much of the extra filling here is to make the movie feel bigger, and maybe to allow Spike Lee to preach a little more. The film looks good with a kind… More
  "Miracle at St. Anna" has a great story goin for it, but the movie itself feels too long and not for good reason-it seemed much of the extra filling here is to make the movie feel bigger, and maybe to allow Spike Lee to preach a little more. The film looks good with a kind of old school color pallette in the flashback and a sharper blue in the 80's setting. These are good, powerful performances and we understand the struggle and inner-conflicts these soldiers are dealing with. Once the film hits the point where the four soldiers are confined in the town it feels like a new movie-all the elements begin to come together and the suspense is much more intense then the opening shootout of the flashback. The movie is kind of a lesson for life and it has alot to say-it is hard not to like the film by the end though-you just hate the fact you had to go through so much to get there.

• Ryan C

  
  Spike Lee's new film tells a story set in Italy during World War II, but through the eyes of four black soldiers, a point of view that hasn't been covered by a major studio before. Inside this very overlong and jumbled film I'm sure has a real great story to tell and… More
  Spike Lee's new film tells a story set in Italy during World War II, but through the eyes of four black soldiers, a point of view that hasn't been covered by a major studio before. Inside this very overlong and jumbled film I'm sure has a real great story to tell and has enormous potential, but is pretty much lost because the movie doesn't really know what it wants to be. I think one of the real problems with the film is its lack of emotion, there isn't an effort made of why we should really care for these characters, and people are dying left and right and the audience barely feels a thing. Lee seemed to tell the story with so much hate and cared too much about his message of the film, or cared too much about trying to piss of Clint Eastwood, that he failed to concentrate on the story and the characters. As much as it scares me to say that I didn't really like the film, out of fear that Spike Lee will call me a racist, it would need a miracle to change my opinion.

• Sarah P

  
  I think the story was interesting, but overall, the film just didn't work. It was really long, but there wasn't much substance. The scene where all of the men, women, and children are shot is very dramatic, but seems contrived.

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