Date of posting

A Dissapointed Miracle

Christina Baldson
Web Editor-In-Chieft

Miracle at Saint Anna”, the expected “Saving Private Ryan” of our generation, resulted in confusion, boredom, and utter disappointment. After two hours and 30 minutes of this stereotypical violent and cliche war drama, I felt a gasp of relief when the credits appeared.

It begins in 1984 at a New York bank, when a seemingly mysterious customer expects to pick up some stamps and instead receives bullet to the head. When the murderer Hector Negron (Laz Alonso), is accused the detectives go search his apartment, along with an inexperienced and headline hungry reporter (Joseph Gordon- Levitt). The detectives, along with the reporter, discover an Italian sculpted head dating back from 1941 as a mysterious piece to the murderer’s past.

Rewind back to Tuscany, 1944 during World War II in a deserted field with an African-American regiment preparing for the Nazi’s attack. All at once, they are bombarded and everyone is killed except four soldiers.

After one of the soldiers Sam Train, (Omar Benson Miller) escapes to a deserted building he finds an nine year old Italian child, Angelo (Matteo Sciabordi) who affectionately (and adorably) addresses him as his “chocolate giant”. They escape and join up with the three other remaining soldiers including the smug and somewhat egotistical Sergeant Bishop Cummings (Michale Ealy) and main leader, 2nd Staff Sergeant Aubrey Stamps (Derek Luke).

After a long period of wandering and random conversations they finally arrive in the small village of Tuscany.

The officers arrive at the doorstep of an Italian family who are struggling to survive amid the Nazi terror. One member of the family who catches Bishop’s and Stamp’s attention is the beautiful yet shallow Renata (Valentina Cervi) who’s husband is currently fighting in Russia.

Even though their trying to find a safe way out of the village they bring up many interesting racial and faith discussions while their waiting. While feasting and dancing with the Tuscan locals, Stamp remarks on the overall kindness and fairness the locals treat the African-American soldiers, “I feel more accepted in a foreign country than I do in my home country,” he said.

The Italian partisans inform the soldiers that there is a safe way out of the village but secretly they are spying on the soldiers for the Nazi’s.

Unfortunately one of the partisans (Sergio Albelli) turns out to be a spy for the Nazi’s. In one instance, he leads hundreds of Italian women, children, and elders to their brutal and extremely graphic death by the Nazi’s at Saint Anne. In the final battle scene the Nazi’s invade Tuscany and the soldiers realize they’ve been betrayed and fight a long, continuous battle.

The mystery is soon found out piece by piece and the ending leaves you somewhat puzzled and unfinished.

All the acting from the affectionate and adorable Matteo Sciabordi to the true realism and suffering expressed by Derek Luke were done to perfection, however the script did not compliment their acting.

Director Spike Lee created a very graphic and intense drama that could have been fantastic, but because of a disorganized script and a ridiculous 2 ½ hour length. “Saint Anna” proved to be anything but a miracle.
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