This film was nominated for three Academy awards including Best Picture and deservedly so. It continues to be a highly underrated film but I suspect it will receive much greater appreciation as time goes by, as in the case of many films that are considered great classics today. The movie is about a black officer, Captain Davenport (Howard E. Rollins, Jr.), who is sent to investigate the murder of a black sergeant (Adolph Caesar) in Louisiana near the end of World War II. Captain Davenport is faced with the tremendous pressure of being in the unprecedented role of a black officer who must get at the truth of who killed sergeant Waters, no matter the consequences. The story focuses on racism within the segregated black U.S Army regiment and is told in flashbacks with rich writing and highly complex characters, especially the conflicted and hated sergeant Waters, the defiant Private First Class Peterson, (played by Denzel Washington), and the self-righteous Captain Davenport. The acting is compelling! In fact, Rollins, Ceasar(who was actually nominated for Best Supporting Actor), and Washington were all deserving of an Academy Award nomination for their acting.
This was one of Denzel Washington's earliest films but one of his strongest performances and I say this as a fan of his work in such films as Cry Freedom, Glory, Maxcolm X, Courage Under Fire, Crimson Tide, Man on Fire, Training Day, to name a few. In fact, if you're a Denzel Washington fan, you would be remissed if you don't see this earlier work of his. This film was also one of the last major films for three of the main actors; the very talented Howard E. Rollins Jr., who is best known for his Academy Award nominated role in Ragtime, Adolph Ceasar, best known for this role and his role as "Mister" in the film Color Purple, and Larry Riley, who played CJ Memphis in the film. The fact that these three very talented actors died in their prime (between 39-52 years of age) makes this film even more nostalgic for me when I watch it today. May their memory live on in this superb film.
This was one of Denzel Washington's earliest films but one of his strongest performances and I say this as a fan of his work in such films as Cry Freedom, Glory, Maxcolm X, Courage Under Fire, Crimson Tide, Man on Fire, Training Day, to name a few. In fact, if you're a Denzel Washington fan, you would be remissed if you don't see this earlier work of his. This film was also one of the last major films for three of the main actors; the very talented Howard E. Rollins Jr., who is best known for his Academy Award nominated role in Ragtime, Adolph Ceasar, best known for this role and his role as "Mister" in the film Color Purple, and Larry Riley, who played CJ Memphis in the film. The fact that these three very talented actors died in their prime (between 39-52 years of age) makes this film even more nostalgic for me when I watch it today. May their memory live on in this superb film.