A Soldier’s Story

Directed by Norman Jewison and set during the Second World War, A Soldier’s Story follows Howard E. Rollins Jr.’s Capt. Davenport as he arrives at a segregated army base to investigate the murder of a mostly despised sergeant named Vernon Waters (Adolph Caesar). It’s an intriguing setup that’s employed to erratic yet mostly satisfying effect by Jewison, as the filmmaker, working from Charles Fuller’s screenplay, delivers a slow-moving drama that admittedly does suffer from a hit-and-miss first half – with the heavy emphasis on Davenport’s investigation into the aforementioned murder exacerbating the proceedings’ sporadically less-than-enthralling feel. There’s little doubt, however, that A Soldier’s Story benefits from the stirring and often spellbinding efforts of a top-to-bottom stellar roster of performers, as Jewison, having elicited career-best work from folks like Caesar and Rollins’ Jr. (and this is to say nothing of Washington’s star-making turn), peppers the narrative with a handful of captivating, powerful moments that pave the way for an electrifying final third – which ultimately does secure the picture’s place as a solid adaptation of Fuller’s own stageplay.

*** out of ****