Tensions flare in this gripping film about a murder on a black army base near the end of World War II. Captain Davenport (Howard E. Rollins Jr.) a proud black army attorney is sent to Fort Neal Louisiana to investigate the ruthless shooting death of Sergeant Waters (Adolph Caesar). Through interviews with Sarge’s men Davenport learns that he was a vicious man who served the white world and despised his own roots. Was the killer a bigoted white officer? Or could he have been a black soldier embittered by Waters’ constant race baiting? Directed by Norman Jewison from Charles Fuller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Soldier’s Story is both a spellbinding mystery and a superb drama that transcends race.System Requirements:Starring: Denzel Washington Howard E. Rollins Jr. Art Evans Adolph Caesar David Alan Grier and David Harris. Directed By: Norman Jewison. Running Time: 101 Min. Color. This film is presented in both “Widescreen” and “Standard” formats. Copyright 2000 Columbia TriStar Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG UPC: 043396040892 Manufacturer No: 04089Director Norman Jewison’s (In the Heat of the Night) 1984 adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play explores the ramifications of racism and loyalty through the prism of blacks in the military, revealed through a murder mystery set in the 1940s deep South. Howard E. Rollins (Ragtime) plays a military investigator assigned to the murder of a drill instructor (Adolph Caesar) in charge of a black platoon. Under pressure from his superiors to wrap his investigation up quickly, Rollins instead delves deeply into the relationships between the despised drill instructor and his men, uncovering lies and animosity, and confronting the question of what it means to be black in a white man’s world. Rollins is a riveting, stoic, and emotional lead, and Denzel Washington makes an early appearance as a soldier with a deep grudge against the drill instructor and a deep mistrust of Rollins’ investigator. A powerfully written story that makes the most of its large and impressive ensemble cast, A Soldier’s Story is a deeply affecting and worthwhile film. –Robert Lane

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