ChikPapa Very disappointed :(

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Btexxamar I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

snorlax3111984 Pros 1. Howard E. Rollins does a fine job commanding the center of this story. It reminds me a little of his work as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Milos Forman' 1981 film Ragtime: another movie based on a play about an African-American man seeking justice in a racist world. Thankfully Captain Davenport is a lot more level-headed that Coalhouse. Though when you think about it: Peterson is more like Coalhouse in the sense that Coalhouse only became homicidal after his innocent wife was killed and Peterson would never have killed Sergeant Waters if Water had't have had a hand in CJ's demise.2. No review of Soldier's Story is complete without praise for Adolph Caesar's wonderful Oscar-nominated performance as Sergeant Waters. He brings complexity to the role to make Waters more than just a self-serving a-hole. You can tell that his racial views are damaging him long before anybody every thought of killing him.3. Coming from director Norman Jewison, it's not hard to see similarities between this film and "In The Heat Of The Night": an African American going down south and dealing with racism while he seeks justice for a crime. To avoid too much comparison with "In The Heat Of The Night", Jewison wisely focuses more on conflicts between African Americans than racial tension. Not that the racial tension isn't there, it certainly is. 4. The movie is a powerful exploration of how racism can cause disharmony even within a race. Sergeant Waters no doubt endured a lifetime of racism and rather than fighting back, he lashed out at other African Americans for making the race look bad and things only got ugly from there. Captain Davenport seeks justice but admits at the end that he was a little too quick to suspect that Caucasian soldiers did Waters in.5. The music is superb. Patti Labelle was worth every penny. The fact CJ could play so well made it all the more tragic his talent never survived the war. 6. It's good that they do have decent Caucasians in the movie like the superior officer who forced the Caucasian soldier to obey Captain Davenport during his interrogation and the soldier who told his friend to leave Sergeant Waters alone since Waters was obviously drunk.7. Best Line: Davenport: Who Gave You The Right To Judge? To decide who is fit to be a negro and who is not?Cons 1. It's a little confusing because one moment it's established that Waters seemed to like CJ (they have a pleasant conversation in the bar) than the rest of the story claims Sergeant Waters has special scorn for him. 2. After CJ's death, the soldiers throw the last game in revenge for CJ. All it does is deny them a chance at playing The Yankees so it seems to hurt themselves more than the superior officers.

SnoopyStyle It's 1944 Tynin, Louisiana. Sergeant Waters is killed by an unknown assailant. All the black soldiers suspect the local Klan. Captain Davenport is sent in to investigate the murder. The C.O. Colonel Nivins is a southerner. He restricts the black soldiers from going into town and gives Davenport 3 days before sending him back. Most of the men are baseball players from the Negro League. Waters was a hard leader of men. The investigation leads to different suspects.I want to love this picture. The acting is superb. Adolph Caesar is excellent. There are tons of great black actors including a young Denzel Washington. Norman Jewison is doing his best work. However this is a whodunnit and the suspects are a little random. It feels like a series of twists and turns that isn't set up that well. In the end, I'm simply waiting for the last twist to reveal the real killer. The biggest problem is that I doesn't really care about what happened. There are so many good actors here that I want to love this more.

secondtake A Soldier's Story (1984)Key here is the story, an attempt to give some exposure to problems of blacks in the military during WWII. That's commendable, and the movie makes it beautiful and on some level an accurate period piece. But there are too many obvious moments here, too many times where it seems that familiar (even for 1984) stereotypes are upended, or where justice is somehow being served to history. This gets in the way of some really fine performances, and in a way waters down the really important points, about the conflict of assimilation and equality for blacks in a military not ready for it, and in a culture (the deep South) completely resistant to it.A young Denzel Washington, and a seasoned Norma Jewison directing, at least make this movie worth watching, but neither rises to their best stuff. The set designer (and to some extent cinematographer) deserve credit for making a convincing setting for it all. And maybe most engaging, though also seemingly patched in for entertainment purposes, is Patti LaBelle as a searing blues performer, great to see.

gsh999 I'm an Army vet of several years and I feel somewhat qualified to comment on the accuracy of the portrayal of the military in the movies. I completed basic training and lived and worked in the same type of Army wooden barracks as in "A Soldier's Story." I was subordinate AND superior, in rank, in the course of my career, to soldiers like the disciplinarian Sergeant Waters. Overall, I believe "A Soldier's Story" is an accurate portrayal of Army personnel and history. "A Soldier's Story" is also an extremely entertaining mystery. Movie-making at its finest!I am proud that the U.S. Army led the way in racial integration in U.S. history. These years were unduly difficult years for African American soldiers, who contributed greatly to the U.S. war effort. Not only did African American soldiers have to deal with enemy action abroad, they also had to contend with extreme and violent racism at home! "A Soldier's Story" depicts this part of American history in a gripping, entertaining, and touching manner. Highly recommended 10/10.