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Reviews (68)
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“Good God” – Pvt. Train, – Spike Lee Ranked: boxd.it/1XDiG It’s not so much good… in fact you might as well just call it bad… This is the only Spike Lee film that I would describe as boring… there are few others I don’t really like but I wouldn’t describe them as boring… this is boring. Also cheesy… it’s the only film of Spike’s that I would describe as cheesy and it not being for some ironic purpose. The performances are just fine and the script is all over the place. If there is a silver lining I think it’s that some of the ideas for Da 5 Bloods and Black Klansman were formed here and I’m glad those movies exist. It’s Spike’s worst film and the only one I would say to skip.
60 2 -
S
Spike Lee’s WWII men-on-a-mission film follows a group of stranded Buffalo Soldiers taking shelter in an Italian village while protecting a possible magical little boy. Not sure why this is rated so low, except that it’s too long; then again so are most war movies. Author James MacBride adapted his own novel, and I like that the film preserves the literary spirit. I never found it boring, but the love triangle is a bit out of place and could have easily been cut. Definitely did not expect the mystery framing plot with its stacked cast and Inside Man vibes. Too bad the schmaltzy payoff is almost as groan-inducing as Saving Private Ryan’s.
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Part Seventeen of the Spike Lee Feature Film Project By tangling himself in an argument with Clint Eastwood over the lack of black soldiers in his two Iwo Jima war films Spike Lee ensured the pressure was on when it came to his first attempt in the war genre. He was right to attack both Eastwood and Hollywood for their poor representation and it raised some important questions. When it was Lee’s turn to step forward to the plate, it turns out that Miracle at St. Anna is a failed mission. He fictionalises a story revolving around the 92nd Infantry Division, a real-life unit of black soldiers, led by white officers, who fought in Italy during the Second World War.…
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B
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M
“A film is like a battleground. There’s love, hate, action, violence, death. In one word, emotion.” — Sam Fuller, PIERROT LE FOU
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T
‘Miracle at St. Anna’ begins with an elderly black war veteran watching ‘The Longest Day’, staring The Duke square in the face and stating: “We fought that war too.” That’s essentially the film’s thesis statement and trying to find any black-centric war film is a tough ask. Spike Lee made something approaching that later as well with ‘Da 5 Bloods’ and while both films are wildly different, they’re connected by central conceit. Black soldiers reckoning with fighting a war for a country that seems to hate them. Both groups of soldiers are reminded of their status by overwhelming radio messages. Whether from Axis Sally or Hanoi Hannah, they’re made hyperaware that their race trumps any benefit service might have provided…
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a film that suffers from excessive forcing, an excessive length and a historical revisionism that, as Italian, i perceived as disrespectful, untruthful and brutally disconnected from a totally different reality i might even be fine with the directorial ideology of wanting to fictionalize, but there are many ways to do something… with the fact that April 25th has just passed (for those who don’t know: on April 25th 1945 the nazi occupation ended and democratic Italy was born, freed from fascism; therefore every year celebrating the Liberation, we remember all those who fought to make this country free) i felt particularly bad looking at this work coming back to the film: actually, it’s not all bad, i think some of the ideas were still good, but for now i’m taking away ½⭐ for the reasons explained above
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Spike Lee started quarreling with Clint Eastwood for not casting black actors in Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima. So Lee jumped on board to make his own WWII film. Miracle at St. Anna is based on a novel by James McBride and it follows 4 African American men from the Buffalo Soldiers who get trapped in a village in Tuscan, Italy during WWII. So I started streaming Da 5 Bloods on Netflix a few days ago, I remember thinking this was indulgent as hell and also it has arrogance from Spike Lee, but it wasn’t that bad. But this is his first war film that was released and wasn’t heard from again. I even remember watching…
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R
Action! – Spike The Power, Lee The Riot’ Before he delighted many of us with “Da 5 Bloods”, Spike Lee attempted to make a war movie set during WWII in Italy during the final days of German control. All of this told from the perspective of some Black soldiers. In concept and on paper everything appears really intriguing, and to a certain extent Spike Lee manages to pull it off giving us exciting moments of action and tension while creating this strong bond with this boy that partly works thanks to the performance of Omar Benson Miller. Blanchard’s score, as always, enhances every scene, particularly emotional and psychologically of a setting or a character. Libatique’s cinematography and camera work give…
96 14 -
J
I guess this was worth sitting through if it means I have seen all of Spike’s movies now!
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D
Set primarily in Italy during the Italian Civil War in World War II, the film tells the story of four Buffalo Soldiers (The name given to regiments of black Americans) of the 92nd Infantry Division who seek refuge in a small Tuscan village, where they form a bond with the residents. The film is told in flashback, as one survivor reflects upon his experiences in a wraparound story set in 1980s New York. Spike Lee’s epic war film is sometimes good but parts of it are a slog due to lack of characterisation during the first hour meaning i didn’t really care or sympathise with any of the soldiers. This improved afterwards but meant the film couldn’t be classed as…
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A
having just survived the truly bizarre double feature combo of The Cremator and Miracle at St. Anna, I am baffled by the critical and commercial panning received by the latter. If there is one big problem with this movie, it’s that it is too SHORT, this is way too much of a story to be told in 2.75 hours, it rightfully should have been a miniseries. Then we would have gotten to know all the characters more, all those plots would have had space to do their thing, and the ending wouldn’t feel so rushed. John Leguizamo could get several minutes added to his cameo! That said. I loved Miracle at St. Anna and its rambling magical realism version of…
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V
One of Spike Lee’s less popular films. Full of great gems of wisdom. Memorable movie
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N
Bon, j’imagine que Spike Lee voulait cocher la case « film sur la Seconde Guerre mondiale » sur sa liste de To Do. Fermez les yeux deux secondes, imaginez ce que ça donnerait… et c’est exactement le film qu’il a livré.
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S
I cannot tell you why people did not love this movie as much as I did but this was hands-down a five star and I was bawling by the end 😭
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M
A frustrating movie because the story is very interesting and the war sequences are shot extremely well, it’s just so long and bloated that it makes it a hard watch. Understandably a forgotten entry in Spike Lee’s filmography Trailers on the Blu-Ray: Anti Smoking PSA Blu-Ray Format Confessions of a Shopaholic Doubt Blindness
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T
There’s so much to want to like about this film, especially powerful performances by Alonso and Cervi. But you can tell by the ridiculous framing device and cameos by some Lee notables that the director doesn’t have control over the material. It’s way too dense and convoluted to really cohere, which is a shame since there are some important questions being posed about America’s exploitation of its second class citizens in defense of a nation they can never really belong to. Da 5 Bloods will build on some of these themes to greater success.
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A
Knowing Da 5 Bloods exists makes watching this almost less rough? That Spike Lee was able to hit a great war film is awesome. And now, I have finished my Spike Lee feature film watch through
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I would’ve loved it if they made this accurate. The plot isn’t even that bad but with barely existing films and documentaries about this event, especially internationally, it just makes me sad that they fictionalised it this much, it’s kinda disrespectful and the movie got a lot of criticism because of this, which i totally get. I’ve met two survivors of this massacre and it was truly heartbreaking to hear the story from them and how they managed to run…
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B
Definitely not Saving Private Ryan and probably one of the worst World War 2 films out there, but about as good as your typical anti white racist Spike Lee film could be.
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P
Hope Hector and Angelo are hitting it off together
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S
It’s pretty cool that they gave Spike enough of a budget that he could make a credible World War II film. But it’s not really what I’d call a successful experiment. Like the last poorly rated Lee film I watched in my quest to complete his filmography, She Hate Me, the primary issue is that Spike tries to cram too many ideas into a film that can’t bear the load. The titular miracle doesn’t occur until the last 20 minutes…
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D
Far be it from me to tell Spike Lee how to do his job, but this thing badly needed an actual screenwriter. Doesn’t fully set the table until an hour in and is constantly going on wild tangents and diversions that make me ask “what is going on?” And that’s to say nothing of the entirely unnecessary frame narrative and the crazy score. But when it’s locked in, it’s got that Spike magic. Just a shame how inconsistent those moments are and how poorly they fit together.
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A
Baffled by the 37(!) metascore and its generally sub par reputation (if it’s discussed at all). Spike Lee telling a Black focused WWII story is exactly what we want our auteurs doing…exploring well trodded spaces with their personal artistic touches. The story being messy or unfocused isn’t a problem, it’s an asset. Little moments with various characters that don’t have anything to do with the main through line have value. Nothing wrong with meandering when it’s compelling. It’s brutal (that…
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B
Review of Miracle of St Anna. The movie confused me at first vut started understanding it near the end. Seeing how a miracle happen of the boy being save by an American team to find out that the little boy helped the soilder who saved his life, that was well made and well done and how one miracle can cause another one. The music was really good I really enjoyed it on how it made the movie very well made.…
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P
Good movie, just really long. But I like how it ties together at the end. Just don’t expect to be intrigued the whole time. That kind was insane.
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W
Tried to watch this movie a few times, but I’ve never been able to finish it. It feels lifeless.
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D
Set primarily in Italy during the Italian Civil War in World War II, the film tells the story of four Buffalo Soldiers (The name given to regiments of black Americans) of the 92nd Infantry Division who seek refuge in a small Tuscan village, where they form a bond with the residents. The film is told in flashback, as one survivor reflects upon his experiences in a wraparound story set in 1980s New York. Spike Lee’s epic war film is sometimes…
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Colman Domingo cameo! Some good stuff here and my library DVD actually looked good – way better than the last dozen library DVDs I’ve watched. Certain moments make this a nice connected companion piece with Da 5 Bloods – especially in the first hour. Strong cast – Laz Alonso and Omar Miller are fantastic. But it’s punishingly long and overstuffed, lessening the power of the best characters and plot lines. I actually really like the 80s part of the story, it could’ve made for a good film on its own.
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There’s a fascinating documentary to be made mapping out how and why this cast had the careers they did. Derek Luke in particular seems like he should have been more of a star. He gets the Denzel cosign before popping in Friday Night Lights and Glory Road. Then he does Lions for Lambs and this back to back, two overwrought prestige dramas by renowned auteurs that just totally misfire.
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J
Boring but not awful, but the frame narrative has like soooo much more juice than the body of the thing. I, for one, appreciate that it’s a naked Clint Eastwood diss track.
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A
ash ANOTHER movie i watched for school. i was surprised when i actually read the reviews and a lot of people don’t like this movie. it certainly wasn’t perfect but it was enjoyable. i liked the different perspectives between the italians, the germans, and the black soldiers. part of me wishes that we got to see more from the german soldier’s perspective. i like how cleared up the whole mystery but i don’t care much for the ending. it was kind…
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D
There are moments that are great. But, there are so many other moments that suck.
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M
Spike Lee, ma perché?
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J
One of the best and longest Spike Lee movies ever made. I really joined this movie as of lot.
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B
Spike Lee working outside his comfort zone here, but I think he is mostly successful. Beautifully shot.
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P
It doesn’t really work on the whole, however you can see what Spike was doing and you have to admire the big swing taken and the foundations being laid for what would be Da 5 Bloods several years down the line.
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T
Quite a moving film, I have to say it was quite cool seeing a small group of friends dodge and weave the nazis. I’m struggling to understand why this film didn’t gain more traction. It had a great cast, including my goat Walter Goggins, great acting, great locations, and a decent story; I almost even shed a tear at the end. There were so many things that you wanted to pause and just think about what happened, it’s like when you say”hold up if that means that, that…” very cool, lots of things to think about in a good way.
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R
I love WWII films and this one has an interesting story, compelling characters and beautiful cinematography. Spike does a wonderful job here. 👍👍
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S
a film that suffers from excessive forcing, an excessive length and a historical revisionism that, as Italian, i perceived as disrespectful, untruthful and brutally disconnected from a totally different reality i might even be fine with the directorial ideology of wanting to fictionalize, but there are many ways to do something… with the fact that April 25th has just passed (for those who don’t know: on April 25th 1945 the nazi occupation ended and democratic Italy was born, freed from…
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T
Slowly losing my faith in Spike Lee’s ability to write female characters 17/24 Spike Lee Ranked
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Watched on the UK Blu-ray release from Revolver Entertainment. Video (1080p HD in SDR) = 3.5/5 Audio (English DTS HD-MA 5.1) = 5/5
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C
I’m really mixed with this film. It’s got a lot of things to love, but it has so much unnecessary scenes and plot points; this did not need to be nearly 3 hours. And the dialogue is pretty on the nose at times. Despite those takeaways, the good moments actually really hit for me so I’m leaning towards positive than negative. The way Omar Benson Miller picked up the kid fried me.
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A
A classic Spike joint
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G
Yeah, it’s very messy and the tone jumps back and forth.
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P
Interesting to take the swing but it just doesn’t work
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T
Way pulpier than I expected. It’s not a bad movie. Plenty of fun construction but then horrific scenes of death. The contrast can feel pretty jarring. The characterization can also feel very thin and simplistic. A lot of moving parts, honestly too many. But there are parts of the film that work. Some of the acting is rough. Idk. Ambitious and nice production value and action scenes but the film as a whole is a bit of a mess and the closing scene is bizarre.
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N
I’m amazed that this was made for 45 million. It looks more expensive that. Huge cast, war scenes, some nice camera movements. Everything is so over the top. The dialog, the yelling, the performances, the score (both the dramatic and the comedy music elements were so exaggerated). The frame story feels mostly extraneous and an excuse to have a bunch of celebrity cameos. Gordon-Levitt particularly stuck out as an overenthusiastic jerk.
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BBerto 3 月 17, 2026
Can’t believe I hadn’t logged this movie yet. One of the most captivating, emotional, and soul crushing war movies ever as I remember it. I need to rewatch to properly rate it soon.
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F
People not forgetting Nazis and giving them their long-overdue comeuppance is a great premise, but kind of weird that Spike Lee went back to it so quickly after Inside Man. Outside of a couple moments, Miracle at St. Anna is way too long, way too boring, and the child actor is awful and ruins about every scene he’s in. The “twist ending” is only a twist in the sense that it’s so predictable and ridiculous that you become sure that can’t be it and are kind of surprised by the sheer nerve it takes to do it anyway.
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S
JGL watch fyi he’s in like 2 seconds at the end and I guess narrates some lol maybe if i knew more about the back story to this some of it would make more sense. but the general war part was somewhat good and intersting…idk
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J
What a phenomenal movie. I absolutely loved rewatching it. It’s a very underrated war movie. It’s a shame because it’s a great movie about a mostly black military unit. A very important movie especially for Black History Month. Sorry fans of Inglorious Basterds but I think they definitely did it better with this movie. Both are great movies but I prefer this because they didn’t try to add humor. It was historically accurate. Long movie but damn it’s amazing.
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N
✅83% People be hating on this way to much, it’s not perfect but this story is just incredible and I feel like there isn’t a lot of black war films these stories need to be told and I’m glad this one was.
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J
This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. So many pieces of it theoretically appeal to me but it’s the only movie I can recall where nearly every single aspect feels horribly off. It’s bizarre to watch, as if someone tried to make a movie out of 50 different movies. Not in a good way.
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A
A little long sure, good and fun story including belief about the magic of the statue and good old fasion revenge… but it also includes lore of a sleeping mountain that went no where soo… Still a favorite
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C
The most Spielbergian I’ve seen a Spike Lee joint get. Not in a bad way! I can also see Miracle wasn’t well received but its a refreshing watch for a WWII flick. I’m left wanting more and could see this as a whole series. It’s time for me to give Da 5 Bloods another try. Spike Lee Ranked
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N
All my tomorrow’s was based on America getting better. What if it doesn’t? Miracle I finished this. Felt that line though Rewatching Saving Private Ryan the other day didn’t do this any favors Colman Domingo at the beginning for 10 seconds Kerry Washington shows up as a defense attorney in the last 15 minutes
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J
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R
i know the knock on this movie is that it’s too long but it’s spike operating with some restraint while trying to make something Great.
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C
Lots of heart and probably deserved better at the box office but what?? I was expecting something more bland but this was Life of Pi territory. Feels like a script written 50 years before it was made.
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8-year old me had a heart attack
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D
Spike’s war movie is surprisingly good, 3 hours and worse than most big war movies but it’s good
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A
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I
How the hell did that head make it through an entire warzone?
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C
i am glad alexandra maria lara is not mentioned in the cast, it wouldn’t do her any favour.
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P
BATTLE FATIGUE Miracle At St. Anna (2008, Italy/USA, Color, ) – – 12 March 2009 Recommended. – – It’s useful to remember that Saving Private Ryan was panned by some critics as maudlin; that Platoon was called self-indulgent. Even Sam Fuller’s masterpiece, The Big Red One, was cut by the studio. Movies about war are hard. Death isn’t a problem, especially in an age when relaxed sensitivity allows unspeakable acts to become spattered across a screen. But how do we…
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E
Spike Lee’s last film, the gratifyingly tense and tricky Inside Man, was celebrated — rightly —for the way that Lee finally jumped, feet first, into the studio-genre-movie game. He cooked up a gourmet-popcorn heist thriller and stamped every moment with his personality. Lee, until now, has never made a movie — good or bad — that wasn’t unmistakably his. His latest, Miracle at St. Anna, is the first Hollywood feature to tell the story of the African-American soldiers who fought…
- Synopsis
- Miracle at St. Anna chronicles the story of four American soldiers who are members of the all-black 92nd "Buffalo Soldier" Division stationed in Tuscany, Italy during World War II.
- Director
- Spike Lee
- Writer
- Francesco Bruni, James McBride
- Studio
- On My Own Produzioni Cinematografiche, RAI Cinema, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks
- Country
- Italy, USA
- Language
- English, German, Italian
- Year
- 2008
- Runtime
- 160 mins
- USA15 Sep 2008
- Italy03 Oct 2008
- UK16 Oct 2008
- Kazakhstan02 Apr 2009
- France29 Aug 2018
- Germany18 Jan 2011
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