Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Sadly Over-hyped

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

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.

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...

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.

Recap: Around the time of the second world war, a black sergeant is murdered on an American Military base in the South. On the base, the privates are mostly black and the officers white, and the atmosphere is racially charged both off and on the base. From Washington comes captain Davenport, a military lawyer graduated from Harvard, to solve the murder. But he is met with mistrust, mostly because he himself is black, something that is still unthinkable among the base personnel. Having but a few days to solve the case Davenport finds that the sergeant was very unpopular and the murderer might be anyone from the officers that saw him with contempt to the privates that he oppressed.Comments: A good murder story that toys with the idea of presumption. There are many presumptions thrown about in this film, and it is only Davenport that can sort them out, or in many cases, wish to sort them out. It is set in a racially charged atmosphere perhaps best exemplified when Davenport arrives at the base and white trainer asks a black private that is staring "Have you never seen a black officer before?" and the private responds bluntly "No sir… have you?".It is set in the mid forties, but the ideas and presumptions it shows sadly still actual. But it tries to do two things at once, one being the murder story and one showing racial prejudice. It does it good, but there are better murder stories out there, and there are better movies about racism too.There are many good actors, Howard Rollins Jr. as Davenport among them,(unfortunately many that has died before their time since), but maybe most notable now is an early role for Denzel Washington.6/10