Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

lathe-of-heaven I normally do not gravitate toward films dealing with social issues, or as in this case, Racism, per se, although there are a number of excellent films on these kinds of subjects. But, there was a certain 'Something' about this one; a certain 'Magic' that probably can be primarily attributed to the actors and the outstandingly BRILLIANT job that they did.A VERY low budget film; you really have to hand it to Norman Jewison for pulling it off so damn well! I believe that this was only Denzel Washington's 2nd film. WOW, can you ever tell what a powerhouse talent and presence that he was to become. Adolph Caesar who rightfully received the Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance was fantastic!I think also what really makes this film resonate more strongly is that, as Jewison said in the commentary, being either white or black, many people can truly relate to these characters. He also said that this was probably the first film which gave such a substantial insight into the African-American psyche of those at the time and especially the ones in the military. I also appreciated the excellent theme of racism within one's own people. It was truly quite powerful...Like I mention in my summary, this basic type of film is not normally within my most favorite Genres; I usually gravitate much more towards Science Fiction, Horror, and Film Noir. But, as I do with all of my reviews here, I really try to evaluate or describe a film based upon how WELL it is done, no matter the Genre. Well, let me tell you... this film is truly one of the very best, especially about these issues. You not only have amazing performances by very gifted actors, but you also have a lovely score by Herbie Hancock, who in my estimation as a music lover and Audiophile for over 30 years (and a vinyl / digital audio collection of some 15,000 albums) he is ABSOLUTELY one of THE best musicians / composers alive. And what is more, the soundtrack on this film is COMPLETELY improvised; and trust me, when it comes to Jazz, improvisation IS the very essence of absolute aural beauty! And, if that were not enough... you also have an expertly crafted murder mystery along with everything else.I can not recommend this film highly enough. If this is the type of movie that you like and you really appreciate excellent performances, then you should fully enjoy this rare, quality film...

Sparky48 Who murdered Sgt. Waters? This is the mystery posed at the outset of "A Soldier's Story," as we see Waters—speaking incoherently and obviously intoxicated—being shot to death on a country road. The setting is Tynin, Louisiana, and the year is 1944, near the end of WWII. Tynin, like the rest of the Deep South, is a town plagued by racial segregation and Klan terrorism. That said, everyone on the Tynin army base, both black and white, has no doubt that the black sergeant's killing was at the hands of white racists, some are even certain that it was the work of the KKK.Enter Capt. Davenport, a Negro army officer/lawyer assigned by Washington to investigate Waters' killing. No stranger to racial hostility himself, he perceives himself as a crusader, out to see that justice—ultimately racial justice--is served for the murder. However, he has the unfortunate experience of learning that internal black racism can be just as hostile and damaging as the external racism historically afflicted by white society.Howard Rollins plays Capt. Davenport, the no nonsense, stoic black army officer investigating Waters' murder, and Dennis Lipscomb plays Captain Taylor, the late Waters' white commanding officer, who, like Davenport, desperately wants Waters' killers prosecuted. However, Taylor earnestly tries to persuade Davenport to relinquish the investigation, believing that as a black man, there's no way that Davenport can possibly "get at the truth" behind the killing.But it is Adolph Caesar who commands most of your attention throughout this movie in the role of the sadistic Sgt. Vernon Waters. The mystery of Sgt. Waters' murder is the focal point of "A Soldier's Story," and, fittingly, Caesar is "the man" of this movie. Through a series of film flashbacks of Waters, via Davenport's interviews with black soldiers of Waters' platoon and Captain Taylor, we learn that Waters was an intensely embittered, disillusioned black master sergeant who believed that Southern blacks, perpetuating stereotypes of minstrelsy and ignorance, impede the black race from attaining acceptance and respect from white society. That said, he embarks on his own personal crusade to rid the black race of such dregs so that the race can prosper and progress.With his raspy, deep voice, Caesar spent most of his career doing narrations for Hollywood productions. (While hearing him deliver his lines in this movie, and if you're over 45, you can't help but to reminisce about the classic tag line he delivered in TV commercials for the United Negro College Fund way back in the day—"A mind is a terrible thing to waste.") But it is in this role as Sgt. Waters in "A Soldier's Story" that Caesar displays his powerful talent as a dramatic actor, in a role that would eventually become his signature. It is with his penetrating voice that he effectively embodies the hatred and bitterness that personifies the Waters' character. Although small in stature, his screen presence is commanding, and at times even chilling, particularly when he vents his animosity and sadism toward the Southern Negroes of his platoon, whom he deprecatingly refers to as "geeches." It is a hatred so intense that as Pvt. Wilke (Water's subordinate) explains to Davenport, "You could just feel it." Caesar would go on to win a well-deserved Academy Award nomination for "Best Supporting Actor" for his portrayal of Sgt. Waters in "A Soldier's Story," a performance that would make him a star overnight. Unfortunately, he would suffer an untimely death two years after the movie was released, just as he was coming into his own as a Hollywood celebrity.In what was only his second appearance in a Hollywood movie, Denzel Washington delivers a solid performance as "Pvt. Peterson," the outspoken and assertive soldier from Alabama, totally unafraid to challenge Waters' bigotry toward the Southern black soldiers. In stark contrast to Peterson, veteran actor Art Evans plays Pvt. Wilkie, Waters' docile and acquiescent flunky, who, in an effort to regain his rank of sergeant, a rank Waters had stripped, is more than willing to facilitate the sergeant's dastardly deeds.In one of the movie's most memorable performances, Larry Riley plays "C.J. Memphis," a Mississippi farmhand turned soldier who becomes the most unfortunate and tragic victim of Water's malevolence. Although engaging and exceptionally talented, both musically and athletically, Memphis is obviously the most illiterate and "uncultured" soldier of Waters' platoon, and a rube too naïve to realize that of all of the Southern soldiers, he's the "geeche" that Waters despises most.In addition to the movie's intriguing drama and suspense, "A Soldier's Story" features prime musical entertainment. Iconic R&B vocalist Patti LaBelle plays "Big Mary," owner of a bar where the black soldiers from the army base frequent. Her mesmerizing blues/gospel singing, coupled with Riley's own fine Mississippi Delta blues singing and guitar playing, makes for some of the movie's most entertaining moments.Charles Fuller, the playwright of "A Soldier's Story" and screenwriter for this movie, did quite a fine job of transitioning his Pulitzer-Prize winning play to the big screen, and the added dimensions of cinema greatly enhances his story. However, even though the story is intended to be a "whodunit," you'll most likely gather who murdered Waters before it is revealed at the end of the movie.Nevertheless, "A Soldier's Story" is a truly compelling tale, and the magnificent performances delivered by the cast alone, a cast that would be perceived by many today as "all-star," will have you wanting to watch this movie over and over again.

sddavis63 This movie tries to do two separate and distinct things; one it does very well, the other is a so-so effort. As regards the latter, frankly, this isn't the most compelling murder mystery you're ever going to come across. On a US Army base made up of mostly black troops in Louisiana in 1944, a black sergeant is murdered, and the question is who did it. Many think it was local Klansmen who didn't like seeing a black man in a position of responsibility, but that theory is quickly rejected and in steps Captain Davenport (played by Howard Rollins) - a black lawyer/officer charged with solving the mystery. Most of the movie is told in flashbacks as Davenport questions the various soldiers on the base to try to unravel the mystery. Rollins was good in the role, and the movie paints a complex (and sometimes confusing) picture of Sgt. Waters, giving reasons for both liking and disliking him, and opening up the possibility that virtually everyone he came into contact with might have had some motive for wanting to kill him. The mystery around the killer's identity is indeed a mystery right up to the very end. There was no reason given to suspect any one character over another. Still, I wasn't especially drawn in by the murder mystery, and if that was all that was going on here this would have been a real disappointment. My sense, though, is that the murder mystery was really background to a bigger issue.What's interesting here is the racial study. What's interesting is watching the pride black soldiers felt in seeing a black officer for the first time. What's interesting is seeing the discomfort of white officers around how to react to a black officer. What's interesting is seeing the interactions between the black soldiers themselves, all trying in their own way to find a way to fit in and to advance at the same time - some asserting their racial identity, some feeling that to get ahead they had to become more like whites, and not always getting along with each other as they approach the racial issues in different ways. This was, indeed, an interesting look at what life might have been like on such a base at the time, and it was that part of the story that was really most interesting to me. The murder mystery was worth watching only insofar as it helped to highlight those racial issues that were ever-present.Of note, I suppose, is that this is one of the earliest roles played by Denzel Washington, as a private on the base who's one of the suspects in the murder because of a confrontation he had with Rivers. It's an important although not a huge role. Rollins was really the star of the movie, and he was very good. Adolph Caesar as Sgt. Rivers was good - perhaps a bit of a caricature of an army sergeant in some ways, but still quite good.

ggustave Fear, pain and anxiety bottled up in one insurmountable scope detailing the plight of the black political journey in a time where radical thoughts are called on to produce positive change. Great examples of the changing of the times thru the eyes of the aggrieved. What was thought to be socially acceptable by those without vision is instead exploited and exposed as hindrance not glory. The details in this film are on display by brilliant actors. The actions are quite believable where a light is fixed on the quality of authenticity of military conduct buried deep in the south. The entire film is not sad, there are performances by Patti LaBelle and a genuine feel the south. Though loyalty is recognized as the standards of propriety or morality, betrayal is exposed thru the story for the sake of justice.