These movies are tough to rate. They are devastatingly sad, biopics of what life was like for black southern Americans who came home after proudly serving their country. They are hard to rate because they are just really sad. It convolutes the scoring a bit because, DID I enjoy it? Fuck no. It made me sick. But that’s part of a movie. And why I have feels as a category.
This is a brutal fictional story of a young black man who returns to Mississippi after a very well decorated 4 years winning world war 2 and fighting for General Patton. He, as you can guess, does not get the appreciation and credit deserved to a decorated solider, in the VERY racist post slavery south.
What ensues throughout the movie is his story adapting to life back home, not as a hero, but as a black man who is less then. He finds a fellow white soldier as a friend along the way. Who just so happens to have a father who is in the KKK and pure evil. Another REALLY GOOD MOVIE every kid in America should be required to watch. Builds empathy, teaches our cruel history and is the only way I see of trying to break down color barriers.
Having this end up in excellent, would have been weird. The historical signficance I do not want to take away, and it is a a really good movie, but quite frustrating, at no fault of its own. And, there is about 30 min of wasted time between the brother of the solider and his wife and their story. I thought that was not necessary and random time wasting. That is a review.