Director Spike Lee is notorious for sticking to a very specific theme throughout all of his films. With Miracle at St. Anna, Lee shocks us all by … sticking to his guns, yet again. As usual, the overarching theme deals with racial differences, and how people try to get along despite those differences. The big difference in the case of this film is that Lee is taking us out of the city, and transporting us to Italy during World War II. The film means well, but a few large mistakes made by the filmmakers bring the movie down to the "you tried" level.
The story of Miracle at St. Anna centers on an infantry division of African-American soldiers that has been thrust into the woods of Italy and essentially used as bait for the Nazi regime. The film was adapted from the James McBride book of the same name, and the story at least appears to be quite an interesting one. The film begins with a bang (literally), starting off in New York, circa 1983. A postal worker shoots a man in cold blood, and a lone journalism newbie is desperate to find out the story behind the story. Given the opening, we are almost lead to believe the film will take a classic noir route, which is something that seems more out of character for Lee than the notion of Michael Moore opting for the salad bar. After about 15 minutes, however, this direction is essentially abandoned, and we are thrown into Italy for the remainder of the film.
The movie is over two hours. To be exact, it clocks in at 2 hours and 40 minutes (a full eight minutes longer than The Dark Knight), but the film's second act makes it feel more like you're watching Malcolm X, twice. The narrative is all over the place, and when the plot is coherent, most of the acting is so far off the mark that you almost wish you were confused again. Along those lines, the film has way too much comic relief, to the point where the powerful story is almost entirely destroyed. One character in particular appears to only serve as comic relief, which in many ways ruins any realism that was intended for his character.
All critiques aside, there's some great filmmaking tucked away in this film. As far as visuals and technique, Miracle at St. Anna is likely Spike Lee's most engaging film. In many ways, the visuals are so good that the film would be quite watchable even if all of the sound were omitted. The rundown stone house that the soldiers occupy for most of the third act is almost a character in itself. The walls glisten with raindrops and the sun peeks through the alleys between the buildings, creating a contrast that's quite amazing to watch.
Miracle at St. Anna is quite the conundrum of a film. Despite many hiccups and complete misfires on the part of the filmmakers, there are flashes of genius that give it more than a few redeeming qualities. Just like a friend with bad breath who is a "close talker," you know Lee means well, but something stinks, and it's hard to get past that. C+
2008 Woodie Awards
