If there is negativity to be found, we can always trust that Spike Lee will find it. Usually it's the negativity of racism...and of course, there's lots of that is this film. But Spike Lee tops himself in this film by finding the negativity of man's inhumanity to man during war. The film is a blood bath. And it's unnecessarily drawn out to be a very long blood bath -- 160 minutes. Has Spike Lee ever heard of editing? And the miracle? Geez...hundreds die in this film, mostly mowed down by evil Nazis (rather cliche), and then the miracle -- reserved for the last 3 minutes of the film -- is that one boy survived because of magic statue head that fell off a bridge being destroyed????? I've watched perhaps a dozen Spike Lee films over the years, and he rarely fails to disappoint. Oh yes, a gem here and there, but more disappointments (including in recent years at the box office) than successes.The sadder thing is that there's a pretty decent cast here. Derek Luke is, in my view, a much underrated actor. I try to catch him in most films he makes, and he never disappoints. Michael Ealy, whom I think is a very good actor, is getting a little too good at playing creeps (as he does here); he might want to rethink his silm strategy before he gets typecast. I'm really not that familiar with Laz Alonso, although I thought he did rather nicely here. Omar Benson Miller played his role here (as the Chocolate Giant) in a very touching manner. Valentina Cervi -- also a good performance.A bomb at the box office, a failure in the eyes of most critics. And rightfully so.

It is really sad that very few people enjoyed this movie. I've just watched it and was quite amazed. The first scene in the post office was just outstanding, it got me right away. The camera was quite different from what you see in the USA normally, perhaps RAI has something to do with it. But the greatest thing about the movie were the characters. Some might say they were overacting, I say they portrayed people at war. It reminded me of For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Hemingway. I know the book is set in the Spanish Civil War instead of the Italian WW2 campaign, but the tone was quite similar in some ways. They both deal with the partisan fight, prejudice, the dehumanizing face of war and even the incredible capacity some people have to resist the war impetus to transform us into monsters. Very passionate, very human, very good!

I love good movies and this one is at the very top of my best ones. I can't believe how it is ranked so low. I read some reviews that criticized the director about racism but i believe that the people that say that they actually be the ones that may be "guilty" in some part... The fact that someone show a reminder about bad things doesn't mean that they can possible be bad themselves, the same thing goes on the other way around..., by the way, it isn't for this that good movies are made for?Very beautiful history, excellent actors and acting, movie picture, movie direction with backwards. Amazing. All stars, for this one.

I praise the real Buffalo Soldiers for what they did during World War 2, but I don't praise this movie. I feel for Sant'Anna di Stazzema, but I don't feel for this movie. The reasons why are clear. It wasn't that good. There was so many things wrong about this film, and so little good. The Spike Lee film opens in 1983 in NYC, where a aged Puerto Rican WWII vet Hector Negron (Laz Alonso), a bank clerk has just shot a customer at work. How on earth, did Hector was allow to bring a gun to work, and second off, what the odds of him keeping a old gun with him, just in case, he sees a old enemy in the past at a bank. The odds are very high, but with the movie title Miracle At St. Anna. I guess it can happen. A reporter Tim Boyle (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) ask Hector, why he did, and the story finally goes after 10 minutes in to WWII Italy, where Hector is part of the Buffalo Soldiers patrolling a Italian field while Axis Sally is ringing their ears from a loud speaker telling them the wrongs about United States and why they shouldn't fight against the Nazis. This was pretty interesting, and reminds me of somewhat of Jesus getting tempted by Satan in the desert with the role of Jesus as the soldiers. After a miserable river battle scene, where it showed most of soldiers just standing still getting blown up like idiots. Three survivors including Hector are catch behind enemy lines being lead by 2nd Staff Sergeant Aubrey Stamps (Derek Luke)- the smartest of the bunch. While Stamps is the only realish black soldier in the film, as the others are just amateurs actors acting like soldiers. I don't even think the actors even know anything about the military in the way they shot and act in the film. The real buffalo soldiers were not that stupid, they would have starting hauling ass to cover and set up a plan, these fools went around clueless shooting without being a team. The real buffalo soldiers were so disciplined, and well trained. In this movie, they question orders, not only from their white commanders, but between each other. Aubrey Stamps would be a better character, if only he wasn't allows fighting with Bishop Cummings (Michael Ealy), a walking racist stereotype who question everything, I mean everything. Not only that he is also a womanizer and very unlikeable character. Rather than trying to survive the war, the two of them are all after a Italian woman Renata (Valentina Cervi) they find, and fights each other on who get to sleep with her. Renata agrees to allow the four men to hide in their house in the village from the German, under the protector of the partisans lead by Peppi 'Butterfly" Grotta (Pierfrancesco Favino). While they are there, one of the soldiers Sam Train (Omar Benson Miller) saves and befriend a local child Angelo. Train is a lovable character, but I can't see him being a real soldier as the actor can barely move under his huge weight. Not only that, he's carrying around a heavy old Renaissance Marble head around as if he is Bart Simpson holding around Jebediah Springfield's head around. Angelo gives him, the nickname 'Chocolate Giant' and the relationship between them is charming as the boy believes in Miracles like the highly religious Train. Without giving it away, the ending to the film is emotional and it somewhat works within the plot-line. While the movie has a good story, it suffers from too many subplots with unexplained and barely development scenes. The language in the film isn't historic right. The slangs don't match the time period. Perhaps Spike Lee and author James McBride didn't see eye-to-eye on some things. While it's a fictional film, it's suffers from historically inaccurate. Saving Private Ryan is a great film largely because it has something to say."We all have a duty to something bigger than us." St. Anna doesn't do this. It has no central theme that is universal and true to the story. All it has is a bunch of scenes that say different things that are on because director's mind. St. Anna isn't suppose to about Spike Lees opinions. I agree with his opinions, but this wasn't the film that he shouldn't have made. Lee made them into overly presented stereotypes by having ignorant black soldiers, and arrogant and militantly racist whites. I don't think all blacks were ignorant, and all American whites were racist. A better, less racist director would have focused more on the actual story than his own agenda. I don't think this movie help overcoming the gap with racial tension in United States. I think it made it worst. I think he hurt, future filmmakers who'd love to see more Black American depictions in WWII movies by this film. That's why Private Ryan is and will always be the measure that WWII films try to reach, weather they admit it or not. If you want a good movie about African-Americans in World War II, watch The Tuskeegee Airmen or the documentary "Inside Buffalo'