Spike Lee's World War II film
Miracle at St. Anna begins in 1983 with Hector Negron, a veteran of that war, unexpectedly shooting a customer dead. Police discover that the suspect, a quiet postal worker, kept a statue head worth millions of dollars in his apartment. An eager young reporter (
Joseph Gordon-Levitt) interviews Negron in his cell about the mysterious artifact. While serving in the all-minority 92nd "Buffalo Soldier" Division, Negron and three comrades managed to sneak deep into enemy territory in Italy. One of the men, Sam Train (
Omar Benson Miller), picked the head up while they were serving in Florence and believes it brings him good luck. Negron (
Laz Alonso), Train, and Bishop Cummings (
Michael Ealy), along with their sergeant, Aubrey Stamps (
Derek Luke), take refuge in the Italian village of St. Anna, harbored by locals who are resisting the Nazis -- who themselves surround the area. Train also protects an injured Italian boy he discovers while investigating a seemingly abandoned dwelling. Eventually, the soldiers make contact with their superiors, and are ordered to capture a German so that he may be interrogated about an upcoming attack.
Lee adapted
Miracle at St. Anna from a novel by
James McBride, who also penned the screenplay. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide