I saw the premiere in Toronto.... I was excited but the movie wasn't anything special. There was some greatly filmed segments and Lee's manages to show us both sides of a conflict (something that doesn't happen to often in War movies)... however, this movie has a little bit too much melodrama and coincidence for my taste.

What a mish-mash! Way too many subplots. Someone needed to exercise a little control. This is one of those where maybe the studio would have been right to insist on the delivery of a 2 hour cut. Ten minutes in, I'm sitting there thinking, "Will they ever get across this river?" There's an entire elaborate sequence featuring John Leguizamo that I'm still scratching my head wondering why it is there. There is also the typical lack of subtlety by Spike where every point is front and center without possibility of misinterpretation. Still, I have to applaud his insistence in dwelling on the off-putting nature of the RESULT of violence. Like the opening credits sequence in Clockers, the violence is anything but glorified. Then as we are often shocked by the suddenness of death by gunshot, he often circles back to show the ugliness of a lifeless corpse that was, just second before, a vital living person. I've read some blogs decrying the fact that he after the great box office success of Inside Man, it was difficult for Mr. Lee to get financing for this one. Well, I've often thought that the basic problem of School Daze is that he had too much money to play with. (Why is there a Phyllis Hyman interlude in the middle of the movie?) I think this might have been better if Mr. Lee had had less money. I'm wishing for a "Director's Cut that is about 110 minutes long. jadeInTheATL… Expand

Nice try, however still really bad. OUCH!

One of the best of spike lee, draws a fine line between realism the atrocities of war and surrealism.

This was a great movie, and i dont see why so many critics think otherwise,i would suggest this movie to war movie fans, and people who hate war movies too

The 92nd deserved a better story. This should have been our Saving Private Ryan, but instead we got a hodgepodge of bad scenes and dialog and a poor unemotional ending.

I am a World War II Buffalo Soldier. I was in combat with the 92nd Division from the beginning, August 23, 1944 until the end of the war. I was wounded and received the Purple Heart during one of our many combat actions. The movie has many plots and sub plots but is says one thing quite dramatically, "Black infantrymen did fight in bloody combat against the Nazis during World War II."

very good movie from Spike. The mystery was mezmerizing. The acting solid throughout, beautifully shot and majestically scored. I thought it was great!

Great patriotic film!

While set during the Korean War, Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H" and the long-running television series that starred Alan Alda and Jamie Farr, was actually an allegory for the ongoing conflict in Vietnam(the CBS sitcom debuted in 1972, three years prior to our full withdrawal from the Asian continent). Since the filmmaker seconds Chuck D.'s notion to "...mother****...John Wayne"(Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" from Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing"), when Aubrey Stamps(Derek Luke) denigrates the Hollywood legend by appropriating his patented term of endearment, "pilgrim", in an ironical context that emphasizes how African-Americans were Indians, and not Pilgrims, at the Duke's table. Lest not we forget, Wayne directed "The Green Berets", the controversial Vietnam film that nearly eradicated any trace of black soldier involvement, which ran contrary to the real war, where African-Americans were mobilized into combat at a clip that was disproportionate to their actual population in the armed forces(20% to 8% according to the historical record). "The Longest Day"(also starring John Wayne) comments on "The Green Berets", therefore making the racism that Aubrey and his mates faced, a fluid thing that wasn't exclusive to WWII. In "Do the Right Thing", Mookie throws a garbage can into Sal's Pizzeria for his people. Aubrey does the right thing in "The Miracle at St. Anna" when he shoots the man responsible for the bloodbath that went down in a small Tuscany village, forty years prior. Judging from his sneering remarks about Wayne, it's not hard to image Aubrey as a separatist, a man harboring a grudge against the people who persisted on treating him and his people as inferiors on the wrong side of the hegemony, in spite of the uniform, and their willingness to lay down their lives. The bullet he fires in the post office was for his kind and his kind alone, Mookie's kind. It's not until the final scene is his revenge killing transformed into an all-encompassing act for both the Indians and the Pilgrims alike. Aubrey's vigilantism, in this new light, honors the memory of his friend Sam(Omar Benson Miller), who did the right thing, when being colorblind made you a saint.… Expand

It's time for Spike to get back to his courtside seat and watch basketball with his horrid Knicks. This movie is about equal to the number wins of the Knicks had last year. Watching this turkey is about as fascinating as watching Eddie Curry on the fast break. He needs a cane, some oxygen and a wheelchair. Spike perhaps you should be fired with your man Isiah. Not even worth a rental. Too much slow motion to suit me.… Expand

One of Spike Lee's best work, amazing how he captured the period.

This is by far the most heartwrenching as well as joyful movie I have seen since Schindler's List. It is sheer movie magic. Bravo, Spike.

Somewhere underneath all the excessive baggage this movie carries is another Great Spike Lee Joint with a running time of 120 minutes, but it's definitely worth sitting through the 40 filler minutes to get to a great ending that is pretty transparent in the first 20! Spike, you're letting Hollywood get to you, we want more bite - less bark!

Very good despite its problems

Great Movie! I am a war movie fan but wasn't exactly excited to see a movie that was as long as this one, to my surprise I was fully engrossed throughout the entire movie. I thought it was one of spike's best movie's to date despite the naysayers and spike bashers. Great movie!

Great plot. Spike has finally grown up. I enjoyed every aspect of this film. Spike has stepped outside of the box with this one. Great job Spike. "Fight the Power"!

Ambitious but overlong and unfocused. It certainly is a well crafted film, but I was just never drawn deeply into the movie. Fine performances. Excellent cinematography.

Apparently critics only sat through the first 40 minutes of the film because after that, Spike Lee had an awesome movie that has been under appreciated. At least he attempted to do something meaningful...how does this have the same score as Friday the 13th? Obviously critics have no taste, except Ebert (I'm willing to overlook your positive review of The Happening :P)

Subplots, subplots, and subplots...that all wrap up nicely at the long-awaited conclusion of the movie, with no questions left unanswered. While the introduction and actuation of these subplots can be choppy and questionably placed at times, each contains a healthy serving of action, emotion, humor, and character. Most definitely a work of fiction only loosely based on real events, length, choppiness, and some amateur filming decisions somewhat hamper what actually turns out to be one hell of a story. And it's this story that kept me interested throughout...and it's quite a trip.… Expand

It is sad that some movies are rated poorly simply because people do not understand the idea. I agree that the movie doesn't mix well and it needed more action rather than boring scenes but in the end you might fully grasp the point this movie is trying to make. I would give this movie an 8 honestly, but due to the awful and ignorant reviews from certain inept people out there I will give it a 10 as my score.… Expand

This movie is horrible. I know the 40's were a racist time, but seriously. The entire movie is so filled with it I wonder why the movie is taking place in the field when Harlem or Chicago of the same time period would have been a better setting. The film is disjointed, is discombobulated, and completely lacking in sense. A lot of the lines are confusing. I figure everyone is insane and just speaking the first random word that pops into their head. I can't find a theme, mostly because the movie can't seem to decide what it's about. It jumps around between so many storylines that they're all difficult to follow and all of them are so poorly executed I didn't really feel like following them. The real shame is that it doesn't look like its really that bad. It seems more like Spikey got carried away and became a little over ambitious. The scope is just to broad. I never got engrossed with the story, never cared about any of the characters (whose names I really can't remember) and the only things I took away from the films are: Nazi's are bad, but not mean. 1970's sexual innuendo have worked their way into the 1940's, the 92nd was the most poorly trained military unit I've ever seen (odd, I'm pretty sure they were a highly decorated unit -_-), and white people are the real villains. Guess being mean to people because of their skin color somehow trumps mass murder and genocide on the scale of evil. Who knew.… Expand

This movie is a huge missed opportunity. There is a great story to be told about the contributions of the 92 Infantry. A great narrative could have been found in exploring the lives of a group of young black soldiers asked to fight and die for a country and military that treats them like animals. We could have followed this group of men from basic training through deployment in Italy where they are treated as fellow human beings for the first time in their lives. The film could then culminate with these brave soldiers holding back a German advance by calling in an artillery strike on their location knowing it would mean their death. That would be an uplifting and actually true telling of the Buffalo Soldiers. Instead we get a lousy mess of a movie. The 92nd is portrayed as a bunch of bumbling fools. Each of the main characters are cliche caricatures none of which are particularly likable. The lone exception being a young Italian boy. My curiosity on what would become of him is about the only thing that kept me watching. I swear Family Guy offers a more accurate depiction of Italians (bobba da boopi anyone?) The story line is disjointed, the acting is terrible, and the dialogue is so over embellished and heavy handed it completing takes you out of the picture to wonder what kind of a self-felating writer could come up with this stuff. I swear the early exchange between a detective and a reporter is the most contrived spew of crap I have ever heard. It would be like me starting this review by saying, "Miracle at St Anna is as flat and uninspired as a boobs on a stick figure drawing." And then for me to continue on in the same manner in every sentence that followed. You know what McBride (Writer) sometimes people just say things like, "Sorry, I can't help you" or "Let me have a look at that" or simply "Yes" or "No". And the directing of the battle sequences is completely amatuerish. Perhaps instead of looking for critiques in Clint Eastwood's movies, Spike should of been taking notes. There is one saving grace for the DVD of Miracel at St Anna, there are 2 bonus features well worth watching. One is a 20 minute feature of the history of the Buffalo Soldiers. The second is a table discussion between Spike, McBride and veterns of the 92nd Infantry and the Tuskeegee Airmen. Those two bonus features are infinitely more worthwhile than the 2hr40min disservice that the main feature is.… Expand

I Don't understand why this film got such terrible reviews. I enjoyed it very much, it's so entertaining and you can't wait to see what led to the first scene which is so powerful. The first have I found myself not connecting to the characters and thinking it was way too much useless info. I was wrong, everything wraps up so nicely and comes together really shockingly. Amazing how these soldiers were treated in their own country and seeing them fight abroad for that same country. Not perfect but Spike Lee really shows us somethings we haven't seen in movies before. A little tweaking and this could've been a perfect 10.… Expand

Obviously this movie was more about plot and emotions than scenes of violence. I can only conclude that there are so many negative views because people can not follow the plot and true to human nature we tend to think negatively of anything that we don't understand. I give a 9 because nothing is ever perfect. Great movie Spike.

Though some of the plot lines seem implausible, I like what Spike Lee did with this movie! My favorite character in the movie is Staff Sergeant Stamps. He is viewed by Sergeant Bishop as an "Uncle Tom", but he also questions fighting for a country that oppresses him and his race! Great Job Derek Luke! Sergeant Bishop plays the part of the man who loses his faith in God and Humanity and retreats to his Ethno-Centric ways, but talking to Private Train keeps him in check. Private Train exhibits a simple childlike faith which was also well done! Corporal Negron exhibits an ADULT faith. He "knows who his Father is". The overarching theme is that war brings people of different beliefs together and can bring out the BEST and the WORST in people! Another STRIKING scene in the film is the scene when the 92nd Division holds a prayer service, and then the scene cuts to the Italian townspeople in Church praying and cuts to the DESCENT German soldier who saved the boy praying. All praying to the same GOD! Even the war weary German officer who hands his Luger to Corporal Negron and tells him to "Defend yourself" is showing compassion! The ending is SUPERB! All actors played their respective parts VERY WELL!… Expand